My Best Mistake
by Cae-Leigh Anne
Summary: What happens when a Moroi hides out in the human world for a summer and then receives a mysterious letter 15 years later? How will this person integrate themselves into the world they were meant to grow up in but didn't?
1. Chapter 1

Unknown Girl POV

I can't even remember why I went out with my friends that night, all I know was it was the beginning of summer and everyone must have gone out for the night. It was no where glamorous or anything, just a local pub where my friends and I could drink, dance, have fun and meet hot guys. And boy did I meet a hot guy.

I had never met anyone as handsome as he was but yet he was there in the pub, he was my friends described as a hunky supermodel or famous actor by the standard of his looks and how he was dressed helped them think that as well.

From a distance he looked reassembly tall but on closer inspection he was taller than my 5'5 height. He has chestnut brown hair and styled it so it looked like he has just rolled out of bed but it was his smile and his eyes that drew me in. His eyes were this amazingly deep emerald green, nothing I had ever seen before.

It took a bit of encourage from my friends to go over and introduce myself to him, I eventually did after too many cocktails but he didn't seem to mind having a drunk girl come and speak to him.

That night was the first night of a whirlwind of summer, to being with he said he was just staying for a week or two before heading back for Christmas to spend it with his friends and family but he said there was something about me that drew him in, enough to make him spend the rest of the summer in Melbourne, Australia.

I look back on that summer and I wouldn't take it back, I don't regret any of it, I certainly don't regret getting up the courage to go and speak and I thank my friends every day for convincing me too.

It's weird to think that summer was only six months ago and now I'm six months pregnant with his child, I know nothing about him except that he was wealthy, his was American and his name was Adrian Ivashkov.

I certainly don't want any money from him, I can get by myself without his help but he deserves to know I am bringing his child into this world, he deserves to know the baby girl I am currently pregnant with is he and I know I can't wait until I give birth to her.

* * *

_Fifteen years later._

Adrian POV

I had no idea who this guy was that had located me, the only thing I knew was that he was human and no idea how he found me. All he did was confirm I was in fact who I am before handing me this letter.

It had been two weeks since the human handed me the letter say it was urgent but since he had been looking for me for fifteen years he didn't know how urgent it still was. Who had the kind of money to afford to keep looking for someone for fifteen years?

I remember telling Rose and Lissa about the letter and they were just as confused as I was, I didn't see the point in opening it. What good would it do after fifteen years? Would the information still be useful? And most important I was worried about the human that had found me, a royal Moroi who had been kept hidden from the human world since I was born because I was a vampire that needed blood to live but I wasn't a Strigoi, they killed for their blood and were what was considering evil shadows of our world.

Months had passed but for reason I still kept the letter, I hadn't thrown it away and I didn't know why I couldn't.

It had been four months by the time I finally opened the letter and I couldn't believe what I read at first, it took me a couple of goes to read it before I finally grasped what was being said.

_Adrian,_

_I don't know if you remember me but my name is Ashleigh Monroe and I was the girl you spent that wild summer in Melbourne Australia. The summer began in 2011 and ended in 2012, I met you at the Upside Down Dog. Originally you said you were only stayed for a week or two but something about me drew you in and you spent the rest of the summer in Melbourne._

_If you are reading this then it means something has happened to me, what you are about to read was something I had hoped to tell you in person._

_I'm writing this in July 2012 and I am currently six months pregnant, I didn't request anything from you other than allowing you to have the knowledge that I was pregnant with your child, a girl in fact and I hope to name her Adrianna as well as giving her your last name instead of my with the hope that one day you can find her._

_If no letters follow this one then it means something went wrong when I was giving birth to her but I had a will laid stating what her name would be and what should happen to her as well as making sure the detective I hired to find you continued to look for you. I was told something could go wrong when it was time to give birth but I couldn't stop the pregnancy, it was too late by then._

_I do hope you will take this knowledge and get to know your daughter, she deserves to know her father or even one of her mother's friends if that is all you can be to her._

_I hope you do the right thing by her but I can understand if it is too late when you read this and she doesn't mean anything to you._

_If this reaches you too late to do anything I am awfully sorry I couldn't find you sooner but I tried as hard as I could._

_The memories I have of the summer we spent together were amazing and I wouldn't give them or my unborn daughter up for anything._

_Adrian, you were my best mistake._

_Love_

_Ashleigh_

I sat there staring at the letter for who knows how long when Lissa found me, I had completely forgotten about the meeting we had with Rose and Dimitri about the new regulations we had issues to the academies in hopes of securing our races.

I remembered that summer I spent in Australia, I had taken off not long after Rose and been let of the hook for the murder of my Great Aunt. It was too much, a family member being killed and the girl I believed I loved had cheated on me with her ex dead undead boyfriend.

What drew me in was how different but yet similar she was to Rose, I was hurting and she was able to make the pain go away. I had used compulsion on her to make her forget about my fangs when she did in fact see them, I made her believe I was human like her. I never once fed on her, in fact I made friends with other Moroi in the city and they helped me locate Feeders.

But if this letter was true and the child that Ashleigh mentioned was mine meant that I had a fifteen, almost sixteen year old daughter living somewhere in the world. Not just that, she was a dhampir, half human half moroi. These days they were only conceived by the means of moroi having sex with dhampirs and for some strange reason they come out half and half like if a moroi had sex with a human.

A dhampir living in the human world having no idea of who they actually were could be confusing because of the traits they receive from the moroi genetics.

I don't know how quick everything happened, one minute Lissa was in my room grabbing the letter from my hands and the next thing I know I'm on a private jet with three guardians heading for Melbourne in search of this unknown daughter of mine. I didn't even know where to being looking for her but I had hoped Melbourne would be a good start in hoping that she would have been born there.

It didn't take long and luck was on our side that she was in fact born in Melbourne and a detective was able to locate her. The information I had been given on her was troubling, she had been in and out of what they called foster homes, been in a bit of trouble and the worst of all was that Ashleigh had in fact died giving birth to Adrianna.

I remember first seeing her, it was in this park that I was told was near her most current living arrangements. She was running around with a bunch of other teenagers that seemed to be around the same age, all them completely human. From the distance it seemed as though she had inherited a darker skin tone compared to my pale one that I remembered Ashleigh having as well as her round face with beautiful features but she had inherited my chestnut brown hair.

I stood there with the three guardians watching for hours and we went back for a couple of days.

It wasn't until one day she must have realised we had in fact been watching her and got fed up because she walked over to us, I told the guardians she shouldn't be a threat by they were alert anyway, typical guardians actually.

"Who the hell are you and why have you been stalking me?" I was shocked at first when she was standing in front of me, it was then that I noticed she had inherited the trademark emerald green eyes that were only ever seen on the Ivashkov members, the dhampirs that were a result of us never got our eye colour but yet this girl had, I couldn't understand what would be so different about her that allowed her to inherit this feature never seen outside of the moroi Ivashkov's.

"I will ask this again before I get annoyed. Who the hell are you and why have you been stalking me?"

"My name is Adrian and I used to be friends with your mother Ashleigh Monroe a long time ago" at the mention of her mother the hard mask she had on her face faltered for a couple of minutes before she regained her composer and looked at me as well as the three guardians.

"My mother died years ago, why are you here?"

"I recently received a letter written by her telling me about you and I had to come see you for myself. My full name is Adrian Ivashkov and the letter stated you were in fact my daughter" and that was when my own daughter punched me in the face, the guardians restrained her but didn't hurt her, which I was grateful for.

I didn't hold the punch against her, in fact I had no idea how this meeting would play out but she had noticed us watching her and it sped things up.

I look back on that summer with Ashleigh Monroe and I don't regret it, at the time it was just a bit of fun but now I look back, knowing what became of that summer and she was in fact my best mistake as well and now I have this unknown daughter in the world and I had no idea how she would accept the world she should have grown up in if the situation was better.

* * *

**A/N: So I have had this story stuck in my head the last few days, I haven't the Bloodlines Series so I have gone back and reread Vampire Academy before starting Bloodlines. Ever since I read Frostbite where Adrian first came in I've had it stuck in my head. I don't own Vampire Academy, only the names and people you don't recognise  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Adrianna POV

I don't know how it began or why it happened but I have always been obsessed with what people would classify as monster movies, whether they are about werewolves, witches, vampires even Frankenstein. I even loved watching old reruns of shows like Supernatural, Grimm and anything else that focuses around these monsters.

I have photos of me from Halloween with my grandparents before they passed away, even then before I was five and allowed to watch such shows and movies I wanted to dress up as monsters, I never once dressed up as a princess or fairy.

My grandparents passed away when I was five, they raised me for those five years because my mother had died giving birth to me. My grandparents told me I looked so much like my mother except my eye and hair colour, they believed it came from my father. I had no idea who my father was and neither did they but whoever he is I sort of thank him.

After my grandparents died I spent the next 10 years in and out of foster homes, no one wanted me because I attracted trouble. Because of this I was constantly moving around from suburb to suburb but the one thing that made it so easy for people to come up to me was my eyes, everyone was fascinated with my eye colour, it was so different to what anyone else had. It wasn't the same shade that you would sometimes see on people who had hazel eyes that were a bit move green then brown or even the rare people that had green eyes. My eye colour is this deep emerald green that stands out in a crowd as well as against my olive complexion and chestnut brown hair.

Having people come up to me made it easier for me to make friends before I was shipped off again. I had always problems sitting still or spending hours in front of the tv, so I made friends to make sure I always had something to do and as always before I left they would always say keep in touch and we won't forget you but of course we didn't keep in touch and I was forgotten.

10 years had passed since my grandparents passed away and so much had changed, I had no connection to my mother or family and I knew nothing about anything family related. All I know is there is letters my mother left behind in her will that I can't read until I'm 18 for whatever reason but at this point in time I don't even want to read them. the only thing I had ever hoped to read in those letter's was to find out who my father was but as I grew older the less I cared about knowing because who wants to know about a child they didn't even know existed for 18 years? I didn't even like thinking about the off chance he did know I existed.

This current suburb I'm living in is some inner city suburb just east of Melbourne, the current friends I had here for a bunch of boys that like causing trouble just as much as I did. We had a habit of playing random sports in the local park, another thing with me not being able to sit still or spend hours on the couch meant I was constantly outside playing with whatever friends I had. I was constantly moving and being active, not like some of the other children you see these days.

The last few days had been weird, I was in the park with the friends like we usually were after school when it wasn't raining. Not many people would hang around since the weather was so bad in Melbourne during winter but yet one of the boys noticed this random group of guys always sitting at the same bench watching us. We had hoped that after a few days they would leave and not come back but they always came back.

After watching them watch me I noticed one of them seemed to be the leader because he was the one that always said when it was time to leave. I had enough of these creepy guys watching me and my friends that I decided to walk over to them and ask who they were.

Walking closer to them I noticed something about them, three of them were a bit younger than the one I had considered their leader and had more muscle as well. The leader had a slim build and he was taller then what I would have thought he would have been but it was when I was standing in front of them that I noticed the leaders eyes, they were the same deep emerald green I had. I was shocked but not shocked enough I wasn't able to speak.

"Who the hell are you and why have you been stalking me?" none of them said anything which me made me angrier, the leader just stood there staring at me. It was making me uncomfortable.

"I will ask this again before I get annoyed. Who the hell are you and why have you been stalking me?" something seemed to have crossed his face, allowing him to speak.

"My name is Adrian and I used to be friends with your mother Ashleigh Monroe a long time ago" he was American but what shocked me was that it had been years since anyone had said that name, hearing it for the first time after so long made me feel a stabbing pain in my heart. It seemed like he didn't even know that she had died

"My mother died years ago, why are you here?"

"I recently received a letter written by her telling me about you and I had to come see you for myself. My full name is Adrian Ivashkov and the letter stated you were in fact my daughter" I punched him before I even had time to process the information and instantly two of the other men jumped at me and restrained me while the other made sure Adrian was alright, turns out they were his body guards.

Ivashkov was the same last name my mother had strangely given me instead of her own. My grandparents didn't know why she decided to do that but they assumed it was my fathers' last name. If he was telling the truth and he was in fact my father, where the hell had he been for the last 15 years?

"I suppose I deserve that after fifteen years but I didn't know you existed until I received the letter the other week. She didn't know enough about me to find me herself so she had to hire a private detective to track me down, it took him fifteen years to find me" I studied his face and I couldn't tell if he was hurt or annoyed by that fact.

"Why come at all then?" I struggled against the body guards but they didn't loosen their grip, where are my so called friends when I needed them?

"I couldn't continue my life with the knowledge that you existed without finding out who you were and how you have lived"

"Oh it's been just peachy. What's with the muscle and why won't they let me go?" I know I shouldn't have been sarcastic or snappy since I was the one in a bad situation. All he did was nod at them and they let me go but they wouldn't move from my sides.

"They're for protection but they won't hurt you unless they feel threatened"

"Are you in that much trouble you need three body guards protecting you from someone?" who needed three body guards? It didn't make any sense

"You could put it that way"

"How do I know you didn't know about me for the last fifteen years but all of the sudden you decided to turn up and act like a father?"

"You can believe whatever you want but I'm telling you the truth, I didn't know you existed" it was then he put his hand in his coat pocket and pulled out the letter before handing it to me.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"So you can read what she told me and make up your own mind. I have also written down my number so you can call me if you wish"

"Adrian, it's getting late we should go" I jumped at the sound of the body guard next to me speaking, none of them had spoken until now.

"Yes I know Shane. Adrianna it was nice to finally meet you and I do hope you call me" he gave me a smile before turning around and walking away with his body guards following him, I could see the body guards talking to him but I was too far away to hear any of the conversation but I did notice one of them look back at me.

The next few days passed in a haze, the only thing that stood out was me starting a fight at school. One of the popular girls called me a slut because I spent too much time with the boys her and her best friend liked, so I jumped her and beat her up. The school didn't like it and I got sent home on suspension, neither did my current foster parents. I have no idea what was going to happen.

I was meant to spend the time locked away in my room but as always they didn't care and I was able to sneak out the window without them noticing. When I wasn't distracted with tv or sports I was spending my time thinking about Adrian, he said he was my father but I didn't know if I wanted to know him or not. He had just appeared in my life and I just had to believe that he was in fact my father.

It wasn't until my foster parents told me that I was being sent off to the next foster home that I made my mind up, if he was in fact my father he could take me with him back to America and I could get to know him that way. I just hoped whatever trouble he was in wasn't bad enough that he couldn't take me with him.

I called the number he had given me and he agreed to meet me at one of the local cafe's. When I entered the shop I found him sitting alone but noticed the same body guards from the other day sitting at separate tables around the shop. I walked over and slid into the booth he was sitting in.

"I'm glad you called"

"My choice was made for me, I'm sick of being pushed from home to home. If you want to get to know me, take me with you, back to America" the smile he had when he saw me fell at this. I couldn't believe this, he said he couldn't continue his life without meeting me but he obviously didn't care enough to take me back with him.

"It's complicated"

"Then uncomplicated it, it can't be that hard"

"It can be"

"What you moved on and made a new family?"

"I did actually but that isn't the point. What makes it complicated is my heritage, your heritage"

"Then if it is my heritage I deserve to know what it is that makes it so complicated"

"I have one request before I tell you anything"

"What is it?" I stared at him hoping it would be simple

"I want a DNA test done to confirm I am in fact your father. If the results are positive then I will tell you everything but until then I won't say anything. I will happily tell you about myself or even the family I have but nothing about my heritage"

"I was told my eyes were my fathers and they are the exact same colour as yours"

"Yes I can see this, it is also the same shade I have only ever seen on family members but I need to confirm it. If the results are positive you will come to understand why it is necessary. Do you agree to have the test done?"

I was silent for a few moments, I didn't know if I wanted the test done. If the results came back negative I would be moved to the next home and have it thrown in my face that I had gotten a little bit excited at the idea of a family. If the results were positive then I had to integrate with the family he had, did I have brothers or sisters or just a step mother. I noticed he was watching me with a careful eye.

"Adrianna do you agree?"

"I agree" as I said it I looked over at some of his body guards, I just hoped whatever I was agreeing to wouldn't put me in trouble as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Adrianna POV

Adrian was rich and not just rich like people who could afford fancy cars or whatever clothing they wanted but rich enough to pay someone to rush the DNA test results. It made me wonder exactly who he was and how much trouble he was in and what I was to come to expect if the results were positive and I went back to America with him.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice that the doctor had come out with the results. Adrian and the guy he had called Shane both stood up and walked over to the doctor, to discuss the results.

After the doctor had left Adrian and Shane had a hushed conversation and I watched them with cautious eyes, I heard Shane ask if Adrian was sure but the response Adrian gave confused me. He said 'you know we can't leave her here unprotected not knowing the truth' Shane nodded at Adrian before the two of them turned and headed towards me. Adrian handed me the piece of paper and the paperwork stated that he was in fact my biological father. I didn't know whether I was happy, annoyed or upset over this information it was huge.

"So what now?"

"First, I have business to attend to right now but Shane will take you back to your house where you can gather your things before taking you to where we have been staying. Once there I will answer whatever questions you have for me" what was more important than answering my questions, the main ones were what was so important about my heritage and what was the trouble he was in?

Shane was quiet the whole trip, he wouldn't answer any of my questions. He always gave the same response, Adrian will explain everything. All I tried to do was ask about him, I asked why he chose to be a body guard or if he had a family.

After figuring out just how rich Adrian was I still didn't expect the size of the hotel room he was staying in, it was a huge penthouse with open living. Shane pointed me towards the living room where I took up a spot in front of the tv, all I did was put on reruns of the monster shows I loved so much. I grew restless waiting for Adrian to return I had stopped paying attention to the show that was on in background.

When Adrian finally returned he walked into the living room and I noticed that Shane stood up and left us alone. Adrian took a look at the tv before turning back to me and taking a seat on one of the armchairs.

"Interesting"

"What's interesting?"

"You watching Vampire Diaries, it was a show that was airing before you were even born"

"For some reason I am fascinated with all shows and movies that surround what people classified as monsters, vampires, witches, werewolves, you name it" I noticed a small smirk appear on his face as I spoke.

"What would you say if you found proof that vampires were real?"

"Depends are you going to convince me werewolves and witches exist as well?"

"I'm just asking about vampires. What would you say?"

"I wouldn't know, there are so many stories out there about vampires that they could be either good or bad. I wouldn't know what to expect, if they were the blood sucking human killing ones most people portray them as then I would be worried but there are some shows that show there can be good ones, they still drink blood but they don't kill" it was then that he smiled, really smiled nothing like the ones I had already seen. What I noticed with this smile shocked me, his teeth were showing but not just that there were also fangs in there. I was shocked, they had to be fake. He's just messing with me. After a minute or two I moved further down the couch away from him and he stopped smiling to cover his fangs up.

"Adrianna I won't hurt you"

"Then explain to me what I just saw"

"I'm assuming you saw my fangs, so yes I am a vampire it's why I was so curious to what you thought about them. I don't kill humans"

"Then how are you my father. Vampires can't conceive children"

"They can, well some can. My world is separate from the human world, it's why it took the detective so long to find me. In fact I was surprised he found me at all. In my world there are three types of vampires or creatures if you wish. I am one type while you are another" he was crazy, he had to be crazy. This was insane, there was no way vampires existed

"Then explain everything right now because it sounds like you're crazy"

"It's why I wanted to confirm that you were my daughter. I am what we call a Moroi, I am a good vampire that only takes blood from willing humans, they are called feeders. Our bites aren't painful, they release endorphins that the humans get addicted to. It's what makes them willing. The other types of vampire are called Strigoi, they are evil and they kill when they feed. They feed on humans, Moroi and dhampirs. A dhampir is what you are, you are the result of a Moroi and a human having children together. You get the best of both races, you get the reflexes and speed of Moroi but the strength and ability to spend hours in the sun from the human side. You also don't need to live off blood"

"This is insane, you have to be lying" I stood up from the couch and began pacing the room. The whole time Adrian didn't say anything, he just watched me and now I found it creepy that he was watching me like that. If he was vampire, which was crazy he could kill me in an instant.

I got fed up with him watching me, I stormed out of the room and the body guards stood up and watched me carefully.

"What are you?" Shane tried to step closer to me but I took a step back and he took the hint and stopped walking closer to me.

"I'm a dhampir, just like you. My mother was dhampir while my father was a Moroi, as it is with Alex and Nathan" Alex and Nathan must have been the other body guards names.

"How come you don't have human mothers? Adrian said dhampirs are half human half Moroi"

"Because for some strange genetic reason we can't produce more dhampirs by two dhampirs getting together, it has to be a Moroi with either a dhampir or human. Either way they turn out exactly half and half"

"You are all insane!" I yelled at Shane just as Adrian walked out of the living room.

"Adrianna, you wanted to know about your heritage and why it was so complicated. This is why it's so complicated, I had to make sure you were my daughter before I told you any of this"

"Did my mother know?"

"No, she didn't. I hid it from her and on the rare occasions where did she see my fangs I made her forget she saw"

"YOU MADE HER FORGET!" I was furious, not only did he feed on humans he made my mother forget things

"Yes" I couldn't believe how calm he was about this, I was yelling at him telling him he was insane

"How?"

"Moroi can harness magic, there is five elements they can control. Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Spirit, most of them are self explanatory while Spirit is a little bit more complicated. I can control Spirit and one of the abilities of it is able to use compulsion on whoever I wish, I used compulsion on your mother to make her forget she saw my fangs"

"Magical vampires? You really are insane"

"I can give you proof Adrianna" I hate that he keeps using my name, why can't he just speak to me without addressing and what was with the body guards, they were so quiet. Did they not speak or something

"How?" I noticed he turned and looked at Shane.

"Seriously?"

"Yes" I don't know what they were on about but Shane stood up, walked towards the draws in the kitchen and pulled out a knife. The next thing I know is that he slices his hand opened and there is blood pouring out of his hand.

"You really are insane, the lot of you. Who the hell just slices their hand opened?" but they ignored me, Adrian walked over to Shane and placed his hands over Shane's and I watched as the blood stopped and the cut closed up, looking like it never happened.

"I need to sit" I whispered to myself not expecting them to hear me but all four of them turned around and looked at me as I sat down

"Adrianna are you alright?" I looked up at Adrian and noticed it looked like he was concerned about me.

"Are you kidding me! You tell me vampires existed, you are one, I'm half one along with those three and then you tell me magic exists. How do you think I'm feeling?"

"I understand it's all a bit much"

"No shit, you said you were in trouble and that's why you have the body guards. Explain that" I snapped at him but all he did was stand across from me.

"The Strigoi as I mentioned kill when they feed, they prefer to drink Moroi blood but take what they can. Because they prefer Moroi blood we use the dhampirs as body guards as you called them or guardians as we call them. Since they get the best traits from both Moroi and humans they make the best guardians, they spend their education at academies learning how to fight and kill Strigoi"

"So you're not in trouble, you're just a liar?"

"I never said I was, I just said something like that"

"What's the deal with the Strigoi?"

"They are made by one of two ways, one is specific only to Moroi. If they kill when they drink blood it strips everything good about them away. The other way is they have to be forced, the Strigoi drinks from you and then they force their blood down your throat. They are faster and stronger than either of us but they have their limitations, silver stakes can hurt them or kill them if stabbed into their heart, they also can't go out into the sun. There are ways to pick them out in a crowd though just as there are ways to pick us out in a crowd. What differences have you noticed between myself and Shane, Nathan and Alex?" I didn't know what he was on about but the more I thought about the longer I sat there in silence.

The other three must have realised what I was doing because they moved and stood next to Adrian. It was then I was able to pick out the differences, even though Adrian somewhat of an olive complexion it was more of what it would look like if they spent all their indoors where as the other three had a tan because they spent time outdoors. Even their builds were different, Adrian was slim and tall while the others had varying heights but an obvious muscular build.

"So you all look different, it happens. Look this joke has gone on long enough and I didn't fall for it so you can drop it or you all are really crazy and I would rather take my chances at the next foster home" Adrian let out a sigh and leaned back against the wall, he was quiet, too quiet. It was like he was trying to come up with another line that would make me believe him about this crazy story.

"What if I could show you the separate world I was talking about? You can meet more Moroi and dhampirs as well as see what the academies I mentioned are like"

"You're crazy, abso-bloody-lutely crazy. This is completely insane, I was hoping you my father will take me back with you so I could stay out of foster homes but I don't think I want to join you all in the loony bin"

"You can come with us or stay, it's up to you but I would like you to come with me. I would like to get to know you better" I looked at him, all things aside I would like to get to know him and I didn't want to move and have to make new friends once again.

"You're completely insane" I don't know why but he smirked at me and next thing I knew two days later I was on a private jet to America.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Adrian POV

I couldn't help it, Adrianna said I was completely insane. I couldn't help it, I had to smirk at her. The way she sounded and the look on her face reminded me exactly like her mother and she didn't even know it. I know I didn't know her mother well enough to give her the answers she wanted but I could tell her the small bits of information I remembered.

I don't know what made her agree to do it but I was glad she did. I really wanted to get to know her and introduce her to the life she should have been involved in from the beginning. It took us two days to organise a flight home as well as making sure she had the correct paperwork to leave the country and arrive in America.

Once we were on the plane it was a different story though. As always Shane, Nathan and Alex would sit together talking, laughing and making fun of each other like they normally did when they didn't have to worry about protecting us but it was Adrianna that shocked me. She went and sat at the very back of the plane away from the rest of us and put her head phones on ignoring us.

After a few hours I walked to the back of the plane to check on her and noticed she had fallen asleep, so much for my hope of talking to her. I grabbed one of the blankets, placed it over her and turned the light off before returning to my seat.

"How much longer is left of the flight?" I turned around at the sound of Adrianna's voice, I didn't even realise she had woken up. I was too busy listening to the story that Alex was telling us about what the novice's at one of the academies had tried to do.

"About eight hours, we are just over half way"

"Thanks" she stayed standing there for a minute or two before turning around and heading back to her seat.

I spun my seat around ignoring the conversation the guardians were still talking about the stories that had been floating around about the novices. I sat there watching Adrianna, it was weird watching how she moved or acted. It was obvious she had some basic knowledge as to how she should act if she had been raised in our world.

I stood up and walked over to where she was sitting and took the empty seat beside her, if she had noticed my presence she didn't say anything. I leaned over to remove one of the ear buds and I notice she flinched, I let out a sigh and withdrew my hand. Instead she pulled them out herself and turned to face me.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you"

"You didn't" there was no venom or hate in her voice but yet the words still hurt, turns out that was the reason she was away from us. She was afraid but yet she came with us.

"Very well"

"Why are you sitting here then?"

"I came to see if there was anything else you wanted to ask?" I watched as she was silent for a few moments looking back out the window. I had almost give up hope when she turned back to face me.

"You said you had another family"

"Yes I do"

"Tell me about them" there was a spark in her eyes that I had yet to notice. I smiled at her making sure I hid my fangs.

"I have a wife named Eleanor and together we have two children both of which are boys. Matthew is the oldest and he is 10 while our youngest is Nathaniel and he is 7"

"So I have two younger brothers" I noticed the slight smile that appeared on her face

"Yes you do, they both the same emerald green eyes that we share while Matthew has our chestnut brown hair and Nathaniel has Eleanor's blonde hair"

"Am I right in assuming that Eleanor as well as Matthew and Nathaniel are all Moroi?"

"Yes they are, does that worry you?"

"I don't know. Do you have any friends that are dhampirs or as they just body guards to you all?"

"Of course I have friends that are dhampirs, when they need to be alert they focus more on the environment then the conversation. If you look over at the three of them now they are laughing and telling jokes. I was involved with the conversations before I came over here. In fact some close friends of mine are dhampirs and they are heavily involved in my children's life as they have grown up"

"If they're guardians don't they have Moroi to watch?"

"Yes and they do, they are in fact part of the group as well. Vasilissa and her husband Christian are both Moroi and their guardians are Rosemarie and Dimitri. Vasilissa's sister Jill is also Moroi and her guardian is Eddie"

"So if they all have one guardian each why do you have three?"

"I don't, I actually have two. Alex isn't mine, Vasilissa requested that Alex joined me for your sake. If something had happened two guardians might not have been enough"

"Okay, why do you have two and they have one"

"Lissa has a whole guard since she is our queen and the rest have two but while they are behind the secure wards at either the academy or the court where we spend most of our time they aren't always needed. If Rose, Dimitri and Eddie weren't such good friends they would go off on their own"

"Wait did you just say queen?" I could tell she was shocked and why shouldn't she be? The government in Australia was completely different to how the Moroi government works.

"Yes I did say queen, Lissa is our queen. Our world consists of 12 royal families and a king or queen from one of those families. They help make pass our laws and get new regulations into our system"

"Since you're such good friends with the _queen_, are you a royal?" I tried not to show the hatred across my face for how she said queen.

"Yes the Ivashkov's are one of the royal families" Adrianna didn't say anything, she just put her head phones back in and turned her back on me. I let out a sigh and stood up heading back to my seat at the front of the plane.

Adrianna's POV

I had no idea what would my life was turning in to since I was going back to the world he kept saying was separate from the human one I grew up in but then he said they had a queen and his – our – family were a part of the royal lines. I didn't know what this would mean for me but I didn't want to talk about it anymore and he got the hint when I put my head phones back in.

In fact I was surprised when he came back but what surprised me even more was when I turned to face him and had hopes of telling him something smart and snappy so he would leave me alone for the rest of the flight but instead Shane was sitting in the empty seat.

"What are you doing here?" I spoke as I pulled me head phones out once again.

"I know you have questions, questions that Adrian can't answer because they are about being a dhampir"

"What makes you think I have questions or even care enough to ask them?" I eyed Shane and there was no reaction what so ever to my comment, I had spent enough with them all to know if I said something snappy I would always get a reaction from Adrian but these other guys are different.

"It goes back to the questions you were asking the other day before you found out what we were. You were asking why I chose to be a body guard and about my family" damn he had me, I was curious about the dhampirs lives considering I was one. I know Adrian mentioned they were perfect for guardians but did they get choice or what, I wanted to know?

"Fine, I am curious. Since you seem to know what I want to know so bad why don't you tell me then"

"I have no idea what you want know but as for your question about why I chose to be a guardian and my family? I didn't exactly choose to be a guardian, in fact all dhampirs are trained from a young age to become them. They go to school with Moroi and have separate classes to help train them, once graduated they get assigned to a Moroi. After a while most females stop guarding Moroi and stay home to raise their children while the males are expected to keep going. As for my family I have a younger sister and I only know who my mother is, the thing with dhampirs is most of us have no clue as to who our Moroi parent is because our dhampir parent won't tell us but there is a small number who do interact with their Moroi families"

"So what you are all dragging me back to America and shipping me off to one of these academies and then force me to become a guardian" I yelled at him and I noticed I finally got a reaction from him, in fact in my peripheral vision I noticed the rest of them sat up straighter and began watching us with cautious eyes.

"We aren't dragging you anywhere, you agreed to come back with us. But as for you going to one of the academies is something no one has discussed. You shouldn't be quick to judge us, we are only doing only what is in your best interest Adrianna. We understand your situation is different to what the rest of us have grown up with" I turned my head and looked out the window, I didn't know what I felt with that comment but it sounded like he was accusing me of something. All I did was push that feeling aside

"That would be the first time some has my best interest in mind" I mumbled not even sure that he had heard but either with that Shane stood up and headed back down the end of the plane, I concentrated back on my movie slowly falling asleep.

I don't know when I eventually feel asleep, in fact I can't even remember what movie I was watching but I noticed I had fallen asleep when I felt shaking me awake. I groggily opened my eyes and noticed it was Shane standing over me, there was something different about the look on his face and how he spoke and acted and it worried me.

"We're making an unscheduled stop from there we will be driving to our destination" all I could manage was a nod, I had never been a morning person. Well actually I didn't know what time it was but I wasn't exactly someone you could wake up and get away with it, I think the only reason Shane did was because the look on his voice and his face was enough to concern me...oh and the big factor was considering how fast their reflexes were, he could easily stop me from hitting him.

Everything happened next was incredibly fast, we were directed off the plane and were led through the airport. Adrian was standing beside me and he had his hand on my arm to drag me along with him in attempts to keep up with the others, Alex and Nathan were in front of us while Shane was behind us. I had no idea what was going on but yet I could noticed something about them all that was off putting.

It wasn't until we were outside that I noticed it was dark which led me to believe it was the middle of the night and it explained why the airport was so empty. We made our way to the parking lot and I assumed once we were in the car we would be fine but we didn't even make it to the car when I noticed Alex and Nathan instantly stopped, Adrian must have senses something I didn't because before I knew it he was standing in front of me, protecting me.

There were a group of 7 people closing in on us and they looked oddly weird, almost scary weird. They had chalk white skin and on closer examination I noticed they had red rings in their eyes. A fight broke out and I just had to stand there and watch as everyone got knocked around. Before I knew I felt someone grabbed my arm and jerk me away from behind Adrian, I didn't even get a chance to see it before I was thrown into something cold and hard and it was then that everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Adrianna POV

I shifted in my bed remember the weird dream I had been having, this strange guy turned up and told me he was my father before then telling me that he was a vampire and I was a half vampire, how much weird could it get. The dream seemed hazy, almost like I was watching an old movie and the picture was old and distorted.

I continued to lay in my bed almost half expecting my foster parents to come in drag me out of my bed and get ready for school that I decided I should wake up. When I opened my eyes I noticed that this wasn't my bedroom, I never had many possessions but I did have a photo frame holding all my treasured photos but I couldn't see it, the fact that these walls were white compared to the blue I was used to seeing didn't help.

I instantly sat up in the bed and took in the surroundings, it was when I noticed Adrian asleep on the arm chair I realised my dream wasn't just a dream it really happened. I didn't know what to think, I did want everything to be real or just a dream? But it was when I really thought back on the events that happened before I blacked out I remember being thrown against something. I was confused, why wasn't I in any pain?

I was sitting there in the bed testing my movements trying to find any signs that I was injured when someone walked into the view of my bed. I had no idea who this person was but being in an unfamiliar environment with only knowing who Adrian was, even though he was asleep, was scary enough. I sat up straight and right up against the head board eyeing the strange girl. She had tanned skin and incredibly dark brown hair that it almost looked black

"Rose?" the girl turned her head to where the voice came from, I recognised the name. Didn't Adrian say he had a friend called Rose?

"Over here Shane, she's awake" she turned and smiled at me but I didn't smile back. I still had no idea who she was but Shane was another name I recognised but how come I didn't recognise the voice, it didn't make any sense. It wasn't until he stepped out from behind the curtain that I saw him standing there and it was the same Shane I had spent the last few days with.

"I recognise you, thank god" I whispered but it seems as though they both heard me anyway. Shane stepped closer to the bed while 'Rose' stayed where she was.

"How are you feeling?"

"Where am I?" who the hell cares about how I'm feeling? I know I don't, I just want to know where the hell I am

"St Vladimir's Academy, we had to make unscheduled stop and then we were attacked. The academy was the closest place we could go without having to get back on the plane"

"Is everyone else fine? Where are Alex and Nathan?"

"They are both fine, aside from the usual bruises or cuts. You were the only one that came out of the attack injured" great so not only did I feel useless, everyone else knew I was useless because I came out injured...wait I can't be injured I'm not in any pain. I had been injured before, I have been in a lot of pain so it's not like all of a sudden knowing what I actually was changed anything.

"I'm not in any pain though"

"Adrian healed you as well as he could. It's another part of the Spirit he can control, he can heal people. He healed your broken bones but you were still unconscious" he had to be joking, I still didn't know if I believe the whole vampire story, let alone the magical vampire part of the story. I stared at him for a moment before moving in the bed to lean over and wake Adrian up.

He was hard to wake up to begin but as soon he started to stir he slowly opened his eyes. When he noticed me I saw how alert he became, I took this as a sign and sat back on the bed.

"You're awake"

"And I'm sick of these crazy stories you all keep telling me. He's just tried to tell me that you can heal people" I pointed to where Shane was standing

"Yes I can heal people, I showed you this before we left Melbourne"

"You are insane, abso-bloody-lutely crazy. I wish I had stayed in Melbourne" I leaned back on the bed and stared at Adrian.

"Well she has one thing right" I snapped my head around to glared at Rose and I noticed she had a smirk on her face. I didn't know what the hell she was smirking at but I was going to punch it off her face in a minute.

"I don't know who the hell you are but I think you should shut the hell up before I decide to shut you up"

"Adrianna!" Adrian scolded but I didn't take my gaze off her

"You can't tell me what to do, you haven't been around the last fifteen years and I have no idea where the hell I am or who the hell she is. Why is she even in here?"

"I came to check on Adrian but since you don't who I am I have no right to tell you what I'm up to"

"Fine I'll just leave" I got off the bed and pushed my way passed her and left the room. Heading anywhere I could that was away from them.

I finally made my way outside and it was dark but somehow it was still reassembly warm but what shocked me was the amount of teenagers standing around talking amongst each other. I was standing there in what seemed to be a court yard taking everything in when it seemed as though some of them spotted me standing there. A group of them walked over to me but it was one of the girls to speak.

"Who are you?" as she spoke I saw the fangs that I had seen on Adrian. Oh god I was standing in the middle of a court yard surrounded by vampires, teenage vampires to be exact and I had no clue who any of them.

So I did the only thing that made sense, I turned around and legged it. I kept running until I came towards something looked familiar and that was only because it looked like a standard gym but when I entered it was far from it.

There where training mats laid out on the ground as well as punching bag lined up along one side of the room and there was also weight machines set up off to the side. What I found most unusual was that there was someone in here, I thought it was weird since the rest of the students were outside talking. From the back I could tell it was a male and he was standing there punching and kicking one of the punching bags. I stood there watching, seeing how he moved and noticed how fluid the motions looked. I may not have taken any self defence classes but one of the friends I made in a town recently so me some basic moves.

"I know you're there" his voice startled me but I noticed the Greek accent he had, I just hoped he was as hot as the other Greek's I've met before. He still hadn't turned around, he just kept punching the bag.

"Sorry didn't mean to barge in" I spoke but didn't move, I didn't know if him acknowledging my existence meant I should go or leave but he finally turned around and he was definitely hot, but hot wasn't enough to describe him. He was an incredibly good looking guy, the most I had ever seen before. He had the tanned skin and strong facial features present with Greeks as well as the dark hair but there was something about him that made it stand out and make him look so much better than everyone else.

"It's fine, what are you doing in here and not out there with everyone else?" he didn't know who I was, of course he wouldn't but I had no idea who did and didn't know who I was.

"Seems more interesting in here" I said with a smile but all he did was raise an eyebrow at me before turning around and going back to the punching bag. It made me realise I had no idea how bad I looked right now, I knew in the past I've had no problems with guys but he didn't even give me a second glance.

"Normally you all have no problems leaving the gym once classes are finished. Some of you even make a run for it once the bell rings" interesting, he seems to think I'm a student here

"So why are you in here?" I walked over to where he was punching the bag and stood off to the side watching his movements.

"I prefer being in here when it's quiet and normally that only happens once classes are let out"

"Why do you prefer the quiet?" but before he could answer the door opened and someone walked in here.

"There you are Anastas, we're ready for you now" what kind of name was Anastas? Maybe it was a surname, I know back in Melbourne the guys called each other by surnames or nicknames from the surname.

"Thank you, I will be there momentarily" He nodded at the other guy and the other guy walked back out the door. He turned to me and smiled. "A quiet gym is better because then I don't get bugged for stories but now company doesn't seem so bad" his smile grew for a split second before he turned around and walked towards the door the other guy had come and gone from. I may not have gotten a full name but seeing him and not noticing any fangs when he smiled made this place that bit better.

Seeing him made things better and I seemed to be in a good mood for once and I left the gym trying to avoid more vampires but when I left the gym I found Alex standing there talking to some other people, it seemed as though the teenagers had moved on since there were barely any people standing around.

"Alex!" I yelled at him and clearly catching him off guard. He turned around faced me.

"Adrianna not that I'm glad to see you awake why are you out here and not in the hospital where I last saw you?"

"Huh that's where I was"

"So this is Adrian's daughter" I turned my head and took in the appearance of the people Alex was talking to, one was male and the other was female.

"Yes it is, Adrianna. This is Eddie Castile and Sarah Jordan, Eddie is a guardian for a royal Moroi that is visiting the school and Sarah is one of the schools guardians" at least I wasn't being introduced to more vampires

"Nice to meet you both"

"We'll see you at the meeting later Bishop" Eddie nodded at Alex, huh Bishop must have been Alex's last name. Both Eddie and Sarah turned around and walked off.

"Meeting?"

"It doesn't concern you, come I should take you back to the hospital before they realise you're gone"

"They already know I'm gone. I took off when Shane, Adrian and someone named Rose was in there" I shrugged like it was no big deal and too be honest it wasn't. Growing up with people not caring where I was, would be a hard habit to get out off.

"You shouldn't have taken off like that, they would be worried about you and you don't even know your way around here. Come on I will take you back"

"You can't tell me what to do"

"You don't really have a say in this, I could just force you" and with that I froze, it reminded me exactly of what Michael had said. I had pushed aside all the thoughts and memories to do with Michael. I stood there staring at nothing.

I could vaguely hear Alex talking in the background but I couldn't come out of the memories. At some point he must have given up and just threw me over his shoulder. All I did was close my eyes and tried to push the memories back aside. I spaced out on where Alex was taking me and I didn't take any notice until he threw me on the bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Adrian POV

I was worried, without a doubt I was worried. Adrianna had no idea where we were or even knew how to get around the grounds but yet she had taken off anyway. Shane left not long after her to try and find her and Rose apologized for scaring her and left shortly after mentioning something about a meeting, leaving me alone in the hospital hoping she could find her way back on her own.

I was still sitting there waiting when Alex walked into the hospital, carrying Adrianna over his shoulder but she wasn't moving or talking or anything, it just made me worry more. When he threw her down on the bed I noticed she was moving since she sat up and drew her knees to her chest and she stared off at nothing.

"What happened to her?"

"I have no idea, she found me and I was trying to get her to come back here. Before she blanked out like this I said I'd force her to come here"

"Thank you Alex, I can take it from here" Alex nodded at me before turning around and leaving me alone with her.

She still hadn't said anything when I reach over to grab her, just I grabbed her, her head snapped around looked at me except there was something wrong with her eyes. They were glazed over and it was almost like she wasn't here with me, I remember seeing this look on people that were compelled to see something that wasn't real. She pulled her arm out of mine and moved further away from me on the bed that allowed her too.

"Don't touch me, you can't force me to do anything"

"I'm not forcing you to do anything" I tried to reach out for her again but it just seemed to make things worse.

"You can't keep doing this, someone is going to figure it out. I won't let you anymore, I'll tell someone" it was then that I realised she wasn't mentally here with me, her mind was off somewhere else.

"Adrianna" I looked into her eyes and hoped compulsion could pull her out. "You aren't there, you are safe here. You need to realise you are safe here no one is going to keep doing it" I tried to make my voice as soft and safe as I could hoping she could hear me. I kept repeating the sentence trying to remind her she was safe but all I get her to do was press her palms into her eyes and not long after she started shaking.

"Adrianna...?" I put my hand out to grab her and her movements were quick. One minute she was sitting on the bed and the next minute she had me pinned to the wall with an arm across my throat.

"You can't do this anymore, it won't work" she spoke but I noticed she still had the look in her eyes that said she was somewhere else.

"Stop, Adrianna you need to let go and step back" I put as much compulsion in as I could being in my current position. Something flashed in her eyes and she instantly stepped back, I knew the compulsion had worked. She looked around taking in the scene as I rubbed my neck.

"I'm so sorry"

"What happened there?"

"Nothing" her voice was cold as she went and sat on the bed looking out the side window

"That wasn't nothing you attacked me"

"Who attacked who?" of course Shane would pick that moment to come in, I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"It's nothing Shane, I've got it handled. Don't you have to attend the same meeting as the rest of the Guardians?"

"I do, I was just coming back here to let you know I couldn't find Adrianna but I see she is here" I didn't say anything else to Shane, I just turned my attention back to Adrianna.

"Adrianna, what happened? You got lost there for a moment. Where did you go in your head?"

"I said it was nothing" she snapped at me and I knew I was getting nowhere.

"Then why did you attack me? That wasn't nothing"

"I said I was sorry, really I am. I didn't mean to do that, I just lost it and thought...nevermind" when she turned around she had glassy eyes, it looked like she was on the verge of crying.

"Are you really that worried about being here? Are you afraid of being here?"

"No, I don't know actually. I ran into some other dhampirs and I felt fine but seeing the strangers that were Moroi freaked me out"

"You have to know you are safe here, no one will hurt you here"

"I know, I trust you won't let any harm come to me. I really am sorry for attacking you"

"Its fine, I've been in worse situations. I didn't know you could move that quick or knew moves like that"

"One of my foster homes last year was in an apartment building and I made friends with of the guys that lived in the building. He took a variety of martial arts classes and he taught me some moves, I guess I remembered the principle of them" there was something about how she said this that made me think there was a reason to learn the moves.

"Any particular reason you learnt them?"

"Just wanted to protect myself" there was something in her voice and her body language that gave me the hint she didn't want to talk about this or even her past for a matter.

"So you must have spent some of the time you disappeared you must have seen some of the grounds. What did you think?" I hoped the change of subject will change her mood.

Adrianna POV

I spent the next few hours talking to Adrian about what I had seen of the grounds but there was no way I was telling him about the hot guy I saw in the gym, I had no idea how he would react to that. Even though he was my father we weren't exactly acting that way.

"When can I leave here?"

"Not until the doctor clears you to, you shouldn't have even taken off when you did"

"Wait you have doctors? Real doctors like I did in Melbourne?" he laughed at me, why was he laughing at me, it wasn't that funny. I frowned at him and he stopped laughing

"Yes we have doctors, we also have lawyers and many other professions"

"Oh I guess I didn't realise"

"Its fine you didn't know. Look I have to go, I have a meeting with Lissa and some of the other teachers. Either Shane or Nathan will be coming by after their meeting is finished and one of them will show you where you will be staying while we are here"

"Okay" he gave me a smile before he got up and left.

I didn't know how long I was sitting there on the bed in the hospital for, I had nothing to do and I was starting to go stir crazy. I got up from the bed and began walking through the hospital having a look at anything I could to occupy my mind. I found a door at the back of the hospital and just as I opened it someone stopped me.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" I turned around and found Shane standing there.

"Why?"

"Because you're having enough problems adjusting to all of this that that room will make things worse"

"What's behind the door?"

"It's the Feeder's room"

"Feeder's...wait the humans that willingly give blood?" he nodded at me and I shivered. I didn't want to think about what could be going on in there.

"Come on the doctor is waiting for you"

"How long had you been watching me?"

"A little while, I was curious about you. I've seen things that I would always see on dhampirs but I didn't realise how much of our movements are natural and the classes just refine everything"

"What if I said I wanted to take the classes and learn what you know? I don't like being defenceless or useless and after what happened at the airport I don't want that again"

"You'll have to talk to Adrian about that. Come on you have to see the doctor if you want to leave" he made it seem like there was more to the classes but I followed him anyway.

Standing there by the bed was an older male who I assumed was the doctor. I moved over and sat on the bed, he was examining me but he didn't say a single word. It was weird not having a doctor speak to me. When he was finished he stood up and walked away, Shane followed him and moments later Shane came back.

"You're all good to leave, come on. I will show you where you are staying"

"Why didn't the doctor say anything to me?"

"You have been freaking when it comes to anything Moroi, Adrian is the only one you feel comfortable around and even when he accidently shows his fangs I can see you flinch. The doctor was a Moroi, I thought you would be more at ease if you didn't know"

"Thanks I guess. How long am I staying here?"

"At this point in time I don't know but if you really are set on joining the classes maybe a while but the term is almost finished. So you might get enrolled next year" I didn't say anything else I just followed Shane back to the room where I would be staying to settle in.

The next few days passed quickly enough, I learnt the reasoning behind why there were so many teenagers awake during the middle of the night. It turns out that Moroi and dhampirs run on a nocturnal schedule since the Moroi are weakened by the sun. I had spoken to Adrian about me wanting to join in the dhampir classes so I wouldn't be defenceless but he thinks there is more too it but I wouldn't budge.

I couldn't tell him what happened with Michael last year and why Jason taught me the martial arts moves, he found me after one of the incidents and he helped me after much pushing to tell him.

I got a hold of the school timetable this morning so I could freely wander the grounds without having to worry about the other students watching me with cautious eyes. A few of them had realised I wasn't a student but didn't say anything.

I had somehow gotten turned around and couldn't remember my way back to the guest housing so I just kept walking. Eventually I found the gym, I headed towards it and hoped the hot guy from the other day was in there and if not maybe I could get some use out of it. I was disappointed when I entered to find it empty but decided to get some use out of it.

I began walking around taking in all that was available in the gym when I heard a voice pull me from my thoughts.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" I turned around and was happy to see the guy from the other day. I flashed him a smile

"Not really. I'm curious about what's available in here"

"Seriously what class are you meant to be in?"

"I'm not. I'm not technically a student"

"Then why are you here?" I pulled myself up and sat on one of the bars as he walked over and stood in front of me

"As I said, I was curious as to what's in here"

"Not what I meant. Why are you at St Vladimir's?" after being here a few days this guy still had no idea who I was, it was weird

"Why are you here, you must not be a teacher since you aren't in class either" I raised an eyebrow at him

"I don't even know your name, why should I tell you why I'm here?"

"Adrianna, what's yours?"

"Adrianna is a very beautiful name. I'm Nikolaus"

"Excellent now tell me why you are here"

"Nice try but there is no why I'm telling a complete stranger why I'm here. Why don't you tell me why you are here?"

"Because I'm here against my will" I shrugged before swinging myself off the bar and landing on the practise mat.

"There you are Miss Ivashkov" I frowned before turning around and glaring at James Mayfair, he had become my personal keeper. I had no idea why Adrian made him keep an eye on me, in fact I preferred it when Shane was following me around.

"Guardian Mayfair, I thought I was allowed to roam the grounds as I pleased?"

"You are, Lord Ivashkov is asking you to join him in his suite"

"He can wait, I was busy. You can leave though, I know where to find him"

"You are meant come with me now"

"How about you get lost before I make you get lost" I shot him a glare. I knew I couldn't make him get lost but he always took the threat anyway

"You know he won't like it"

"I don't care, leave" I pointed at the door. Eventually he left after a few more glares. I turned around to find Nikolaus still standing in the same spot smirking.

"Why are you smirking?"

"No reason Miss Ivashkov"

"I didn't tell you my last name"

"It's not hard to put the pieces together"

"That's why you were smirking"

"I've heard about you but I never heard your name. I guess it makes sense now and I know you aren't here against your will. You should go find Lord Ivashkov before he comes in here and accuses me of something that isn't going on"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're fifteen and I'm twenty, he could think a lot of things. I'll see you around Miss Ivashkov" and just like that the nice flirty smile and tone he had earlier was gone. Great revealing who I actually was made him realise how old I was. I frowned at myself wishing I could go back and change what I said but I couldn't instead of I headed off for Adrian's suite.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Adrianna's POV

I had been at the academy for almost a month now and I still hadn't seen Nikolaus since he found out who I was and I was a little bit devastated. I had enjoyed the flirting with him when he had no idea who I was and wasn't treating me like I would break. I had been spending more time in the gym and the oval running and using the weights, I used this time to avoid everyone.

I had met the people that Adrian had spoken about on the flight here but there were moments when I felt suffocated around them but spending time in the empty gym was helping. It was almost the end of the school term and soon enough we would be heading back to court. A few days after arriving at the academy I learned that Adrian was in fact a teacher, he didn't teach many students it was more he taught the students that shown abilities in Spirit. I was told I would be spending the summer at the court where we would decide if I would come back for the new school year and join the freshmen in some of their classes.

Technically it was the middle of night for me but the sun was out so in the human world it was the middle of the day. I didn't realise how much I missed the sun, being here, spending so much time in the dark.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" I turned around and found Nikolaus standing there

"Why do you care? I'm fifteen, wouldn't want Adrian to think something was going that wasn't. You assumed I was a student so you must have known there was an age difference"

"I assumed you were a senior and just about to graduate. I knew you were a dhampir but you look older then you are"

"Obviously you know who I am now and also as to why I'm not in classes" I turned away from him and looked back up at the sky, god I had missed the bright blue sky with barely any clouds around.

"I do but I am curious. Why do you want to be in classes? You didn't get raised in this world, you don't have ingrained into you that they come first and we must protect them"

"You don't know anything about me" I snarled at him before standing up and walking towards the gym.

I was standing there in front of the punching bag staring at it trying to decide if I wanted to take my anger out on it.

"You put a mask on to hide the hurt and pain you had to endure before you came here. You push people aside because you believe you never stick around long enough to make friends" I was startled by the sound of his voice I didn't realise he had followed me inside.

"And your wrong" I threw a punch at the bag trying to take my anger out. How the hell did he get that right? I hadn't told him anything and I doubt Adrian would have told anyone how I grew up, hell I didn't even know how much he knew about my childhood.

"For someone who feels so defenceless you know how to throw punches" where the hell was he getting this information?

"What makes you think I feel defenceless" I turned around and glared at him but he was standing there not even fazed

"Why else would you want to join the freshman next year and get trained?"

"I figured it would be easier that way, I can stay here and get to know Adrian without the judgement of not doing what every other dhampir is doing" I turned back to the punching bag and began punching it. He didn't say anything else and I assumed he had turned around and left the room but instead I found him making his way around to the other of the bag to hold it still for me.

"Where did you learn to throw punches? You have obviously been trained but not enough to make it seem as fluid and precise as a normal guardian's punches would be"

"A friend taught me last year before I had to move on to the next home" I threw this punch slightly harder and he wasn't expecting me to put that much force behind it. I noticed him step back a step or two but he wasn't completely fazed. Thinking about Jason was hard, that move was hardest but also the easiest one. I couldn't handle leaving Jason behind, he was like the older brother I never had but I was so glad to be leaving Michael behind.

"Next home?"

"Right Adrian was confused by the same thing. I have spent the last ten years being moved from foster home to foster home because I had no family or anyone willing to look after me"

"The foster home would be similar to how we spent most of the year here or at any number of the other academies because we're safer behind the wards"

"Sort of but you all family who love you, you see them at Christmas and over the summer. I don't" I stepped back from the punching bag and looked at him, why did he care? He said himself there was a considerable age difference between us

"I'm sure Adrian loves you, you're his daughter"

"Why do you care?"

"Just trying to work out why you want to be here. Come on if you aren't going to go back to bed I want to see what you can actually do" he stepped away from the bag and headed towards the mats waiting for me to join him.

"You have the advantage, you've had more training then me"

"I promise I won't hit you. I will only defend myself" I frowned at him but noticed the small smile he had and decided what the harm could be.

I didn't know how long we were sparring for but true to his word he was only defending himself, I was able to get one or two punches in as well as kicks but most of the time he was able to block my hits.

I didn't know what made it change but somehow out of nowhere he had kicked his legs out to trip me up and I ended up pinned to the floor. I didn't like being pinned to the floor it brought back too many bad memories, I couldn't take it and I couldn't even punch him or push against him since he had my arms pinned as well. The only thing I could do was close my eyes and try to even out my breathing.

"Are you alright?" I slowly opened my eyes and noticed he was looking at me but it wasn't the look of concentration or lack of emotion I had seen on him previously, it was softer almost like he cared.

"Are you kidding me? You said you wouldn't hit me and you would only defend yourself but yet here I am pinned to the floor"

"You just lost it for a second, you kept throwing hits one after the other and they were getting sloppy. You weren't even paying attention to what I was saying"

"THEN GET THE HELL OFF ME!" I screamed, not caring anymore. I just need him to let go, I couldn't take being pinned on the ground, not again.

I don't know what was with him, the other guardians I had met barely showed any emotion on their faces. Rose and Dimitri were the only ones I had seen show emotion but that was only around what they considered family but the rest of them nothing. Even Nikolaus barely showed any emotion, he showed more before he knew who I really was. But now there was emotion all over his face and it was weird, he was the one that made the big deal about the age difference. I noticed a frown on his face as he pulled away and stood up. He held a hand out for me but I didn't grab it, I got up myself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do"

"You're not sorry, you don't care. Why don't you go back to avoiding me, the only thing you along with anyone else wants to know about me is why the dhampir girl who grew up in the human world all of sudden wants to join in with the freshman for the new school year and learn how to protect Moroi" I heard the door open and I turned my head to find Adrian standing there, great just what I needed.

"Is everything alright in here?" Adrian must have noticed the tension in the room and walked closer to me while eyeing Nikolaus.

"Everything is fine Lord Ivashkov, I was just seeing what Miss Ivashkov here could do in terms of self defence"

"Adrianna is this true?" Adrian looked at me, he knew there was something off about this off scene

"It's how it started but he said he was only going to defend himself but somehow I ended up pinned to the floor" I noticed Adrian snapped his head at Nikolaus, he wasn't happy. "Don't Adrian. Guardian Anastas was just leaving anyway" I gave him a look and hoped he would leave but he stood his ground

"Actually Adrianna, we need to leave. We're heading to Court earlier than expected. I went to your room to wake you but you weren't there"

"Sorry I couldn't sleep, I've missed the sun" I looked around and noticed Nikolaus turned around and slipped out the door

"I can understand, come on we have to go"

"Wait promise me we're going straight to court, no unexpected stops?"

"I promise Adrianna. Lissa and Rose are on the same flight as us, they won't make an unexpected stopped with Lissa on the plane"

"Why not Christian and Dimitri?"

"They will be flying back at the end of term with Eric, Andre, Nathaniel and Matthew. Ellie will meet us at Court in a few days" I was nervous about meeting Nathaniel and Matthew, Adrian wanted to wait until we were safely in their home before introducing us all since he didn't know how things will plan out.

"Why aren't we all waiting until the end of term?"

"Because Lissa needs to be back at the Court for some reason or another and I decided it would be good if we hitched a ride so we wouldn't get stopped"

"Thank you, when does the flight leave?"

"Soon, you should go back your bags" I groaned at the thought of packing. I had been putting it off for days. I didn't have many possessions when I first got here but after getting used to being around Lissa and Rose they had taken it upon themselves to order me countless clothes, the downside to Lissa having all boys as well as Adrian and Ellie. There had been no girls for them to fuss over and buy completely girly clothes for. So now I had countless clothes spread all over my room in the guest housing.

"How bad is the clothing situation thanks to Rose and Lissa?"

"Pretty bad, don't tell me Ellie is going to go nuts as well"

"She most likely will, she always wanted girls but we didn't want any more children" I groaned again but he just laughed at me before pushing me towards the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Adrianna POV

I laid there in my bed not wanting to wake up, the past few weeks had been amazing. I spent the rest of the summer break at the Court with my family, god it felt weird to say that. Everything went surprisingly well, I adored Nathaniel or Nate as he preferred to be called same with Matt. They were the cutest little things, well except for when they tried to wake me up. All summer they had snuck into my room and would wake me up by hitting me across the face with their pillows.

I had ended up getting advice from Rose and Dimitri and they both said that if I focused my senses I should be able to pick up on them sneaking into my room and this was what I was doing at the moment. I was laying here in my bed pretending to be asleep, I wanted to get them back before the summer was over because I knew once we were back at St Vladimir's I wouldn't see them as much since they were on one of the junior parts of the school while I would be staying at the senior side.

I was nervous for when I would arrive at St Vladimir's later on today, I hadn't really had the chance to meet anyone else that would be in my classes. I knew I would be having separate combat classes but I would be joining in on their theory classes and see how I go before deciding what to do from there.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of my door opening and I knew this was it. The two green eyed brats had snuck into my room, I continued to lay still even when they jumped on my bed. It wasn't until I felt the air move from one of them moving their pillows that I sat up and grabbed them both.

"You're cheating Dri" Matt whined while looking at me with wide eyes. The two of them decided early on that I needed a nick name, the numerous number of friends I had made moving from foster home to foster never really gave me a nick name, well except for Jason but that was different.

"No way, I have been waiting all summer to get back at you two for waking me up every morning since you two got back from school"

"But Dri" this time Nate decided to join Matt in the whining. I hated when they both ganged up on me, I could say no to one of them looking at me with wide eyes but both of them and I was weak. How had spending six weeks with this two adorable boys cause me to go weak. Maybe it was the sight of their emerald eyes that I shared with them that made me realise I had family that I loved and they loved me back. It might have taken a while for Adrian to find me but he had and I was glad I got to spend this time with my family.

"Fine what do you two want?"

"Mum said breakfast was ready" they both grinned at me, I was still nervous around Moroi I didn't know but I had gotten used to my family.

"I know this but why did you think waking me up with a pillow to the face will solve this problem" I raised an eyebrow at them but they just laughed before jumping off the bed and running out of my room.

I sighed and got out of my bed and followed them into the kitchen. I found them sitting at the table looking as innocent as ever, almost as if nothing had happened.

"Good morning Dri" I looked over and smiled at Ellie, she had accepted me graciously as her daughter and she didn't hold it against me or Adrian for being a dhampir.

"Morning Ellie" I took a seat at the table as Adrian entered the room. He walked over and kissed the top of my head and saying good morning before walking over to Nate and Matt.

"Morning boys"

"Morning dad" they both chimed together while smiling at him.

"Did you two wake Dri up again by hitting her with the pillow?" Adrian gave them both a look, he always knew the two of them were up to no good. I didn't know if it was because of Spirit or the fact that I had heard he was just as bad when he was younger.

"No of course not dad"

"It's because I stopped them before they could hit me, they then said I was cheating"

"That's because it is cheating Dri, you have the unfair advantage" Nate spoke while looking up at Adrian hoping he would take their side.

"You both know she has a stressful day ahead of her and yet you both decided to wake her up like that"

"Sorry Dri" they both said together while looking at me with wide eyes hoping I wouldn't stay mad.

"You two should be" I narrowed my eyes at them as Ellie placed breakfast on the table. I noticed Adrian smirking, almost as if he knew I had forgiven Nate and Matt.

The rest of the morning flew by, I had finished my packing and was currently sitting on the bed staring at my packed bags. As Adrian had said before we left St Vladimir's Ellie had bought me numerous amounts of clothing, just as Rose and Lissa had continued to do. In fact Rose was the one that took me shopping yesterday to buy clothing I would find suitable for my combat classes, which I'm grateful for.

"How are you doing sweetie?" I looked up and found Ellie standing in the doorway. She had been so kind to me, easily taking me in and treating me like a member of the family.

I remember the conversation I had with Adrian not long after we arrived at Court. Nate and Matt hadn't returned from the academy yet and Ellie was still overseas.

"Adrian can I ask you something?" I spoke as I walked over to sit on a chair across from his desk. I had no idea if the paperwork was important or even if he was busy, this topic had just been bugging me.

"What is it?"

"Why do most dhampirs not know there Moroi parent?"

"I honestly don't know. The dhampir race can only continue to exist as long as the Moroi race continues to have children with them. There are some Moroi, especially males, that go off and get female dhampirs pregnant because it's the fun thing to do. Other's come to an agreement about having children, Rose's parents had something similar. Or there are others that come back and continually to take advantage of the female dhampir"

"Why have you taken me in then? So many dhampir's don't know both of their parents, why are you different?"

"Because I never would have gone off and gotten a female dhampir pregnant just to further their race and leave them alone with the child, I would be there every step of the way no matter what. If your mother had lived and I found out about you earlier, I would have come clean about everything and be there for both of you"

"So there's a chance I could have grown up in this world"

"Yes, I still would have claimed you as my daughter no matter what had happened. Nothing would change that, your eye colour and surname prevents me from doing so"

"You don't mean that anyway"

"You're right I don't and I know Ellie won't hold this against you" I was silent after that, it was like he could read my mind. I was scared about how Ellie, Nate and Matt would think of me"

"I'm nervous Ellie, I had never been nervous about going to a new school before but this is different" I looked up at her and she gave me a small smile

"You don't have to go, we know you said you don't want to feel defenceless anymore but we aren't forcing you to go and join the other freshman in their classes"

"I want to though, this is the life I should have had. I want to know what I'm missing out on, I'm just worried what everyone will think of me"

"The only people you have to worry about are the Moroi, especially the royal Moroi. Yes there are hundreds of dhampirs that have royal Moroi as parents but they don't get claimed as their children. Dhampirs always stick together, yes they fight each other in class but they will stick together when they come against the Moroi"

"Why is that?"

"Rose said it's because some day they may have to work together, they would rather have a fight with a Moroi in school then a dhampir because when it comes to bite them in the ass they would rather have an annoying Moroi to guard rather than be paired with a dhampir that they hate or hates them back"

"It makes sense"

"Come on we have to go, we need to be there earlier because you and Adrian have a meeting with Alberta about your classes"

I stood up and grabbed my bags to follow Ellie out of the house and head towards the plane so we could fly to the academy. I wasn't looking forward to my meeting with Alberta, I didn't know how things would go or what classes I would be stuck with. The thing I was worried about the most would be the private combat classes I knew I was going to have.

I was silent the whole way to the academy, both Nate and Matt tried to make conversation with me but I wasn't up for talking. In fact I was confused when Dimitri came and sat down next to me, he and Christian had come along on our flight to drop Eric and Andre off at St Vladimir's and in turn so did Dimitri.

"If you're here to give me some inspirational speech to stop me from being nervous it won't work" I didn't even look over at him I kept staring out the window.

"Far from it actually, I came to make sure you wouldn't throw up on the plane" I turned and faced him, of course he wasn't serious.

"You're funny"

"Rose says the same thing"

"Adrian says I've spent too much time with Rose"

"I agree, I feel sorry for whoever has to teach you"

"I've heard you've spent too much time with Rose as well"

"Yes I have heard that but seriously you will be fine at St Vladimir's. Rose says you have the potential to be great you just need the focus"

"Of course she told you I was asking for pointers" I rested my head back on the seat and looked up at the roof.

"Adrianna you will be fine, just stick to the dhampirs. They will protect you and they will help you. Our kind sticks together" he placed a hand on my shoulder before getting up and heading back down to where Christian and Adrian were sitting.

I watched him walk back down the plane and sit with the others. Adrian caught my eye and he gave me a small smile before turning back to the conversation whereas I just turned back to the window.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Adrianna POV

Here I was sitting in Alberta's office with Adrian. Ellie had gone off with Nate and Matt not long after we landed and they both hugged me and told me I would be amazing at whatever it is I was worried about. As much as those two annoyed and enjoyed it at the same I could tell they really cared about me.

So far most of the meeting just involved making sure all the right paperwork was filled out, I pretty much ignored the conversation.

"Adrianna?" Adrian's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I noticed both of them were looking at me

"Sorry I wasn't listening"

"We gathered. I asked if you were fine joining the freshman class even though you should be in the sophomore class"

"Yes Guardian Petrov, everyone I have spoken to said I may as well join the freshman class" I had learned a while go how to address people, whether they were Moroi or dhampir.

"Very well, here is a copy of your timetable. We have enrolled you in a range of classes covering the basics. I have also added a before and after school session with your private teacher to help you catch up easier" she handed over the time table and I looked at it

_Period_

_Class_

_Before School_

_Private Class_

_First Period_

_Basic Guardian Combat Techniques_

_Second Period_

_Bodyguard Theory and Protection 1_

_Third Period_

_Weight Training and Conditioning_

_Fourth Period_

_Freshman Language Arts_

**_Lunch_**

**_Lunch_**

_Fifth Period_

_Moroi Culture 1_

_Sixth Period_

_Basic Anatomy and Physiology_

_Seventh Period_

_Freshman Math_

_Eighth Period_

_Environmental Studies_

_After School_

_Private Class_

I wanted to groan at the sight of the timetable, no one told me how long their school days were. The only thing I was told was that the first half of the day was split between the races and after lunch we would mix together for classes.

"Is everything alright?" I looked up from the timetable and looked over at Alberta

"I'm just a little bit confused about some of the classes. Don't get me wrong I understand the need for combat classes, bodyguard theory and weight training as well as anatomy and environmental studies, as much as I hate math it makes sense. But why am I taking Moroi culture and language arts?"

"All novices take language arts, it is what you called English back in Melbourne. Over the years you will learn different aspects. Depending on where you get placed depends on what entails of your job, we also teach common sayings throughout some of the more common languages among our races, for example Russian and Romanian. Whereas Moroi Culture everyone takes, it is more to teach the students about the heritage they have. Things like century old traditions or how things have changed previously are covered. Even if you weren't taking it we would have placed you in a class that's similar to it. Remember you know nothing about our world"

"Do I really have to take math though? Can't I take another culture based subject or even more condition training?"

"Nice try Miss Ivashkov but no. Everyone is required to take math"

"No harm in asking, so what is the deal with my private classes"

"Your fellow novices are ahead of you in terms of physical strength, endurance, anything else that is fitness related. These classes will catch you up on that as well as teach you anything you may have missed in previous classes. You will have the same guardian teaching you for both your before and after school sessions. Even though you are enrolled in the same practical classes as your fellow novices at this point in time you won't be sparring with them until we believe you up to scratch" There was a knock at the door before I could even ask who would be teaching me. "Come in...Perfect timing Guardian Anastas" I didn't have to turn around to know who Guardian Anastas was, I remembered him clearly but I noticed Adrian turn around.

"No way, can't it be someone else?"

"Lord Ivashkov" Alberta sounded shocked

"I'm sorry but you know as well as I do that the last person I knew to have private lessons things didn't end up being appropriate"

"I'm sorry but am I missing something?" I noticed Nikolaus had taken a seat in the spare seat. He might have been confused but I knew exactly who Adrian was talking about, he was talking about Rose and Dimitri.

"Lord Ivashkov of the guardians we have available he was the only one that offered" now that shocked me, why would he offer.

"But really you know as well as I do what happened last time"

"Yes and last time the only one that got hurt out of the situation was you" wow another shock.

"Wait is she saying you dated Rose?"

"You know what we're talking about?"

"I do, I get told I spend too much time with Rose. Adrian?"

"Yes I did date Rose, towards the end of her senior year and while she was on the run"

"Do Nate and Matt know?"

"No and it will stay that way"

"Fine I won't tell them"

"Good. Now seriously even if you put that all aside, before summer break started I walked in and found those two arguing. How do I know she is going to get any benefit out of this whole situation?"

"Miss Ivashkov do you have a problem with Guardian Anastas being your private teacher?" yes I did, but I had a feeling there was no other option.

"No but I also have a feeling this is like the math. I don't have a say"

"Adrianna" I turned and looked at my dad, he looked concerned and worried. I had told him mostly what happened that night when he found me in the gym with Nikolaus, I just left out about how I apparently spaced out and he had no choice. "Are you sure about this? I'm sure I could ask a favour from someone at Court to come here and teach you. You got along with everyone at Court"

"What did you tell him?" Nikolaus had finally spoken

"I told him what happened. You wanted to know what I knew so I showed you while we were sparring. You were the one that said you would only defend yourself but yet you ended up pinning me to the ground!"

"Is this true Anastas?"

"Yes but"

"No buts, you knew she didn't have the training the rest of the novices do. Miss Ivashkov if you really don't feel comfortable with him I'm sure we could find someone else"

"I don't feel comfortable with her being taught by him!" I was shocked by how angry he was getting. He was glaring at Nikolaus, I'm surprised he wasn't on his feet either.

"Dad..." he turned his head and looked at me, his face softened. I hadn't called him dad yet but he was just getting so angry I couldn't help it, I needed him to calm down.

"What Dri?"

"It's fine. I promise I'm fine with him teaching me, if something else happens I promise I will go to Guardian Petrov"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. Guardian Petrov I'm fine with Guardian Anastas teaching me" I looked away from Adrian and looked at Alberta

"Very well, Lord Ivashkov that is everything I require from you. I'm sure you have classes to prepare for or go and see your boys and say goodbye to Lady Ivashkov. Guardian Anastas I'm sure I can trust you to show Miss Ivashkov to where the novices stay" Nikolaus stood up and nodded at Alberta while Adrian stood up and walked over to me, silently requesting for me to follow him.

"Thank you Guardian Petrov" she gave me a small smile as I followed both of them outside

"Dri are you sure about this?"

"I am, I promise it will be fine"

"Alright, technically classes don't start till tomorrow so students will be arriving all day. Come and have dinner with me tonight, Ellie will still be here and I know both Nate and Matt will most likely come as well"

"I will, I don't have any friends anyway"

"You will make friends. I will see you later" he kissed my cheek before heading off down the corridor but not before giving Nikolaus another look. Once Adrian was out of earshot I turned to face Nikolaus.

"Why did you offer?"

"The same reason I kept telling you last term, I'm curious as to why you wanted to join in with the novices. This way I can get to know you better and find out the truth. Why didn't you tell your father about what really happened in the gym that night?"

"It would have worried him if I told that I spaced out. Where are the novice dorms?"

"Come on I will show you" I followed him out of the building and across the grounds. Turns out the novice dorms were close to the gym, which was obvious. The novices spent most of their time in the gym for classes; it made sense to have their dorms close by it also allowed the novices the ability to complete extra training if needed.

"So some rules you should know. First of there is no sneaking out in the middle of night when you are meant to be asleep, second boys and girls sleep on separate floors and it must stay that way, third the receptionists keep an eye on the living area on this floor and also keeps a note on who comes and goes and fourth you have unlimited access to the gym as long as curfew hasn't passed. I suggest use the time wisely. I will meet you in the gym in the morning for our first class, I suggest you spend today making friends"

"Thanks, where's my room?"

"You will have to ask the reception desk, I have no idea" he gave me a small smile before heading towards the stairs and going off to what I assumed was his room.

I didn't know if curfew started tonight or not but yet I left the novice dorm and was sitting on a patch of grass under the sun feeling incredibly nervous about tomorrow. I still wasn't a hundred percent sure about if I was doing the right thing or not. I knew I hated feeling defenceless and I would never want feel that way again and if me taking this classes will prevent that then I will. But was I ready for being introduced to a completely different school structure to what I was used too and was I ready for whatever Nikolaus was going to make me do in the morning.

"You know this counts as breaking curfew" I turned around and found the male in question standing there.

"You know this counts as stalking"

"It's not stalking when it's my shift for security and I see you sitting in the middle of courtyard"

"Fine, I'll go back inside and sit in my window" I stood up and headed back towards the novice dorm

"Wait" I let out a sigh and turned around to face him.

"What?"

"Why do I keep finding you out here in the middle of the night?"

"Because technically it is the middle of the day, I may have easily switched from a human schedule to a nocturnal one but it doesn't mean I don't miss the sun. I spent all my time outside in the sun, it's weird spending so much time in the dark"

"Everyone is allowed to miss the sun, the only reason we run this way is because of the Moroi and the fact that the Strigoi can't go into the sun. So having us all awake at night when there is a higher chance of them attacking is easier than if they were asleep"

"Why did you really offer? There had to be some other reason, you can't just keep saying you were curious about me"

"I know what happened at the airport"

"How?"

"Word gets around among the guardians. I had been in something similar when I was much younger then you. My mum had chosen to stay at home and raise both me and my brother. One summer when I was younger we had gone on a holiday and we were attacked, I was at the stage where I couldn't do anything" I noticed the pain look on his face

"What happened?" he looked away at this point which made me realise it didn't turn out as well as my incident did. "I'm sorry but why did you tell me?"

"I've seen how hard it's been for you to adjust to this change. I figured if you knew me a little better it would make our private sessions easier on your part"

"Doesn't mean you have to tell me that though" when he turned and faced me again the mask that all guardians had was back up on his face.

"I figured that attack was the reason you wanted to join in on the classes and also why you feel defenceless, trust me I know how it feels to feel defenceless. I threw everything into my training after that, which I'm sure you will from tomorrow but first we should sneak you back inside before you get in trouble"

"Thanks and I'm sorry about your brother" he just stared at me. "Just a guess, I figured he was younger and you couldn't save him. You said you felt defenceless since you couldn't do anything, if your mum had died so would have both you and your brother" he didn't say anything, he just turned on his heel started heading back towards the novices dorm. I had no idea if he was still willing to sneak me in or not but I quickly followed him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Adrianna POV

I had just entered the classroom for my first theory lesson. The private session with Nikolaus just turned out to be a double lesson that he used to work out when I was compared to my fellow novices. I was behind, which wasn't a surprise but I wasn't far enough behind that I would struggle to catch up. Turns out all the time I spent outside playing sports had kept up what fitness levels I had.

I was sitting at one of the tables waiting for Bodyguard Theory and Protection class to start. I was nervous about how this class was going to go and this was the first class I had with my classmates. Nikolaus had pulled us aside and trained me separate from them so I wouldn't be nervous in front of them but I was just nervous period.

I was too busy in thoughts I didn't even noticed when someone slid in to the seat beside me.

"Hi, you're Adrianna right?" I turned and faced her, she had blonde hair and striking bright blue eyes and if it wasn't for the red mark on her face she would be incredibly pretty. I hoped the red mark was just from training though.

"I am, how did you know that?"

"News travels fast when there's a new novice, especially with your last name. My name is Emily" she smiled at me and I instantly smiled back.

"What has been said about me?"

"Just that you grew up in the human world and Lord Ivashkov is your father, a royal Moroi. Yes some of us may have royal Moroi blood but we don't know who since most of us take the surname of our dhampir parent instead of our Moroi parent"

"So just the basics then? Yes I've had that bit explained to me, it sounds weird not to take your fathers last name. It's just common practise in the human world"

"Now that sounds weird to me" she grinned at me and I found it was easy to talk to her. "Here, pass me your timetable so I can see what classes we have together" I reached into my bag and pulled it out and handed it over.

I watched as she compared the two. "Any matches?"

"Yes, we share the same classes except for environmental studies. I take culinary science instead but one of the other girls takes environmental science. She is currently in the other novice class but I can introduce you to her at lunch?"

"Other novice class?"

"Yeah there are too many of us in our year so they have spilt the class. When we have 1st and 2nd period they have 3rd an 4th period classes and vice versus but after lunch when we join the Moroi we get spilt up even more"

"That's fair, how many girls are in our year?"

"Four including you, there's Sarah who is the girl who is taking environmental studies. There is also Lindsay and Amelia. I get along with both Sarah and Amelia but it's Lindsay none of us really get along with"

"Why's that?"

"She would rather spend her time with the Moroi, I've got nothing against them. I'm friends with a fair number of them but she will push us aside for them, especially the royal Moroi. It's almost like she's trying to get in there good graces for placement when we graduate"

"Well since there is so few of us girls and one of them would rather spend time with the Moroi what are the boys like?" I grinned at her and she shook her head at me but I saw the smile on her face either way. Before she got the chance to reply our class had started.

I spent the rest of the morning following Emily to our classes and she had introduced me to our fellow novices, I had met so many people I was losing track of their names and would have to ask them again when they started speaking to me.

Fourth period had just finished and I was following Emily and I think his name was Daniel from the classroom towards where we had our meals. I hadn't had any meals in here so I was shocked by what it was, it just a massive cafeteria but it looked so different to what I would have expected. I noticed straight away that the Moroi also sat in the same cafeteria. I froze not expecting this, I had hoped I could still keep away from them until I felt more comfortable around them. I knew I had to deal with them in my afternoon classes but I just hope I could sit with my fellow novices and that would make me forget about the Moroi.

"Adrianna are you alright?" both Emily and Daniel were looking at me, we had stopped not far from the door or the line to get food. But I couldn't answer, I just stayed silent and tried to control my breathing to stay calm.

"Adrianna?" how did I not realise that Nikolaus was in here, it doesn't surprise me though. I guess I was just shocked by everything in here I didn't take in any of the faces that I knew.

"I'm fine honestly" He raised an eyebrow at me showing he didn't believe me, how was it after a short amount of time he was able to tell when I was and wasn't lying? "This is Emily and Daniel"

"Damien" he corrected, I stared at him.

"I'm so sorry, I swear your name was Daniel"

"Its fine, my twin brother is named Daniel"

"That would make sense as to why I kept seeing you in different places. I thought I was losing it, guys this is Guardian Anastas. He's the one helping me catch up to your level"

"Nice to meet you both, I will see you later Adrianna"

"He's hot" Emily spoke as soon as he walked away, I had no idea if he was out of ear shot or not

"I know this, he is also five years older than us" I frowned at Emily and I called hear Damien laughing at us

"How often do you meet with him?"

"Before and after classes, during combat techniques and on the rare occasion during condition class as well"

"Hmm, I wonder if he's any good"

"Wouldn't know Damien, I don't have much to compare him too" I shrugged as the three of us walked towards the food line.

I made it through lunch with them meeting the Sarah girl that had been mentioned and someone had pointed Lindsay out for me and true to Emily's word she was surrounded by Moroi. Someone had given me the rundown of their names and they were all royal Moroi, being a dhampir I technically had no connection to the royal families but I also had to know who they were since they had a big part in running our world, Adrian had been the one to explain the ins and outs of the royal Moroi and how they worked, I was confused to say the least.

I barely made it through my afternoon classes being surrounded by Moroi, I just hoped this nervousness feeling I had around them would go away soon enough. I was grateful when I entered my environmental science class and noticed it was all novices and not a single Moroi in sight but what did shock was that Lindsay was in this class. I went over and took a seat beside Sarah. We were in the middle of a conversation when Lindsay made her way over and interrupted us.

"So you think because you actually know who your father is and he claims you as his own, you think you're better than the rest of us and that warrants you your own teacher?" I looked up at her, in normal situations I had no problems handling myself. I had had some Moroi make comments about Adrian and how they thought I thought better of myself but I had stayed quiet. But this time round there were no Moroi around to make me nervous.

"Are you jealous because I actually have royal blood where as you are just a wannabe?"

"I do have royal blood"

"Oh really and who is your father?" but I got no response. "Exactly, you don't know who your father is and I don't hold that against you since most dhampirs don't know who their Moroi parent is but what I find sad about you is the fact that you pretend to be better then you actually are. When we graduate those Moroi you throw yourself at won't want to know you. I may not know everything since I'm behind but you seem to be even more clueless then me"

"And you're just a sad little pathetic excuse of a dhampir, I don't know a single Moroi who would want you as their guardian. Maybe you should just go be a blood whore already" she smirked at me, the comment made no affect on me but everyone else in the room gasped in shock.

"And you say that like it would have an effect on me"

"Oh come on, I've heard about what you did at Court. You and that one or was it two royals, a Tarus and a Lazar. There were rumours you let them feed off you" this got everyone whispering, I was already big news amongst the novices I had yet to meet and this just added fuel to the fire and it wasn't even true. Me having the no self control I normally have I stood up and punched her.

I expected her to being able to block the punch or do something back but she really was more clueless then I was. The teacher walked in just in time to see me punch Lindsay and I was sent to Alberta's office while she was just sent to the hospital.

"Miss Ivashkov, I heard you caused trouble in Australia and I hoped you could make it through the first week without having to be sent to my office"

"She told everyone in the class that I let two royal Moroi feed off me. I had enough trouble getting through lunch and my afternoon classes, I doubt I would have let a Moroi feed off me at Court"

"No but weren't you found drunk and in the bedroom of another novice during your stay at Court"

"How do you know about that?" I managed to speak after being shocked. Rose had found me in the guy's dorm, I don't even know if Adrian knew. Either she told or the guy did, I can't even remember his name.

"News travels amongst Guardians just like it does with students"

"Great, what about the fact she called me a blood whore?" I still had no idea what the severity of the word meant but her reaction to it was enough to justify it was a bad comment.

"Do you know what that term means?"

"Nope but I'm assuming by the reaction of the novices in the class as well as yours it isn't a good term"

"No it isn't, it's not exactly a term we throw around lightly. They are similar to prostitutes, sluts or whores but with the aspect of letting the Moroi feed of them during sex. A dhampir letting a Moroi feed off them in general is taboo but during sex is even worse"

"Great so now all the novices will be talking about how much of a slut I am now" I shrank into my chair not wanting to go back to classes

"We all know about how uncomfortable you feel around the Moroi, I will be speaking to Miss Reynolds about what she claimed during your environmental science class and she will be punished"

"What about my punishment?"

"Guardian Anastas has something planned for you. You should head to the gym instead of returning to class. I believe he is already in there waiting for you" I didn't say anything else, what more could I say? I wasn't exactly sorry for punching her and now knowing what a blood whore is I was even more furious, she was glad I only punched her once.

When I made it the gym I found that both Adrian and Nikolaus were waiting for me, just great. How fast did gossip travel in this bloody place for Adrian to be here?"

"What were you thinking punching a fellow novice for no reason?" Adrian was pissed and I could understand since I'm his responsibility but he didn't even know the story.

"Are you kidding me? Where the hell did you hear that lame fucking story? She called me a fucking blood whore and told everyone that instead of being with the _one_ _novice_ I was found with two fucking royal Moroi and I let them feed off me. I had enough fucking trouble making it through lunch and my afternoon classes that I was finally glad when environmental sciences came along and I found there were no Moroi in there" the anger that was written across his face instantly vanished as soon as I finished talking.

"I'm sorry, I just assumed..."

"What that since I caused so much trouble before hand that I would punch someone on the first day and send them to the hospital while I get sent to Alberta's office?"

"I was in the hospital when she came in Dri. She told us you punched her for no reason"

"And what you believed her? Are you kidding me, I have never done anything like that just because I could. I always did it because someone said or did something first but no ever believed me why should that change now"

"Dri I'm sorry. I should have come to you first"

"Yes you should have. How do you think I feel knowing everyone now thinks I'm a blood whore and have let two Moroi feed off me?"

"Did you make friends today?"

"Yeah but what's the point?"

"That's the point. You made friends, obviously before those comments were made. If they start treating you differently then they don't matter"

"It's bad enough I'm not in their practical classes"

"Speaking of which, we need to begin and you have punishment I'm meant to deal with" Nikolaus spoke causing both Adrian and myself to look at him. I had almost forgotten he was in here, almost.

"Very well, Dri we will speak about this later"

"Can't wait" I gave him a fake smile before he left. I turned and faced Nikolaus and I was not ready for this session and the punishment it would bring. But I sucked it up and did everything he requested knowing just how much I would hurt in the morning.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Adrianna POV

It was almost time for Christmas break and I was excited. I had spent the last few months in and out of training with the occasional detention here and there. Lindsay had decided that I was the most horrible person on the earth and made it her life mission to destroy mine.

She had started several rumours about me to which none of really took mainly due to the fact I wasn't spending time with any of the Moroi. Even after the whole blood whore incident on the first day died off pretty quickly without me speaking to any Moroi, Emily and the rest of the novices had asked about it and I explained to them it wasn't true and the fact that I was nervous around Moroi was enough to prove it.

They couldn't see why I was nervous around them but they understand it could be hard since I didn't go grow up with them as friends or even in my classes. They made sure that in the classes we shared with Moroi I was always seated the furthest away from the Moroi, it felt weird knowing how much they cared about me and my discomfort around the Moroi.

I was currently in the last private training session with Nikolaus for the year before I went back to Court for the Christmas break. I heard a buzzing and turned my head to notice my phone had lit up.

"Someone's popular" he spoke but I could tell he didn't really care either way since I didn't make a move to grab the phone.

About a week arriving at the Academy I had finally found my phone and charged it. Adrian had organised a sim card for me so I could text my friends when I wasn't with them or keep in touch with him or Ellie. Matt or Nate didn't have phones yet so I could only email them when I had the chance, which wasn't very often.

Nikolaus and I were currently on the training mats sparring and as they had been since the beginning he was only on the defensive. My morning sessions were about fitness and endurance while my afternoon sessions were about combat, along with my scheduled classes this made for 2 lessons a day on this. My Saturday classes were often spilt or varied week to week depending on what he thought was needed.

My phone kept buzzing and I noticed Nikolaus let out a sigh before straightening up. "Shut the thing up already"

"Sorry" I mumbled before walking over to where my phone was placed on the bench. I picked it up and noticed I had four new instant messages.

_Hey, I know we haven't spoken in a while. Just wanted to check in and make sure everything was alright with you and the latest foster family – Jason_

_I get it if you're busy and can't reply but please do soon – Jason_

_I can't wait around much longer Aid, this is serious – Jason_

_Look Aid, I have no idea why you are ignoring my messages or even where you are living at the moment but Michael is looking for you and I have no idea why. He tried to threaten me but I don't even know where you are anymore – Jason_

I stared at my phone before I dropped it, I watched as it fell to the ground. Jason was right, we didn't talk very often but every now and then he would message me and check in, it was the same reason I didn't change my email. But if this was true and Michael was after me it couldn't be good.

"Everything alright?" Nikolaus' voice broke me out of my daze, I bent down and picked up my phone telling myself I would reply as soon as the session was finished.

"Fine, why wouldn't it be?" I put a smile on as I walked over and resumed my position.

I was distracted, I couldn't focus and my hits had become sloppy. I hoped I could make it through the session without him noticing but he must have realised something was up. He was blocking my hits way to easy.

"Stop, Adrianna. Why are you so distracted" I ignored him and walked over to pick up my water bottle. "I could just as easily pick up your phone and check the messages"

"Go ahead they won't tell you much" I pretty much threw my phone at him with the messages from Jason still up. I watched as he read the messages, I was confused when I could see the anger flash through his eyes.

After months of our training sessions I had learned to read the emotions on his face, most of the ones I saw was frustration or anger. Most of which was always directed at me for causing trouble but I pointed out that I'm doing a lot better then what I was back in Melbourne.

"Who is Jason and why is he worried about you, who is Michael and why is he looking for you and the last one really makes me question it all. Why is Jason worried that Michael is going to hurt you again?" I stared at him in shock, Jason didn't say anything about him being worried about Michael hurting me again. I snatched the phone from him and noticed there was a new message from Jason.

_Aid I know you've read these, I just hope you are busy. By you not replying I'm scared the worst has happened and Michael has found you and hurt you again. I remember what you were like last time and hope it hasn't happened again, you don't need any more pain like that – Jason_

"Adrian said that it took the detective fifteen years to find him. Tell me Michael, who has no money won't be able to find me here" I didn't realise how scared I was until I spoke, my voice was soft and broken, almost like I was on the verge of tears but yet there were no tears in my eyes.

"What's going on?"

"I can't tell you, please. Nikolaus please tell me he can't find me here"

"He won't be able too. You landed at the Montana airport and were driven the rest of the way by academy vehicles. There is no way to track you here. Who are Jason and Michael?"

"Jason is the friend that taught the few self defence moves I knew and Michael is an old foster parent"

"If he was an old foster parent why did he hurt you?"

"Please just drop this, you said yourself that Michael can't find me here so there is nothing to worry about"

"Why Aid? I know your family and your friends call you Dri"

"Jason's two years older than me and when I first met him he was coming home late and he was drunk. He was having so much trouble pronouncing Adrianna so he stuck with Aid and has ever since"

"Are you going to tell me about this Michael guy, a parent should never hurt their children?"

"Well lucky I wasn't his child, only a foster child. Is this session finished?"

"No, tell me what is going on"

"Too bad I'm leaving" I turned to leave the gym, not even bothering to collect my things but Nikolaus had no interest in me leaving. He grabbed my arm and spun me around, forcing me to face him. He also held both my wrists to hold me in place and I couldn't take it, I needed him to let go.

"Please let me go" I looked at him with pleading eyes and my voice was so soft I think I worried him

"Tell me what has you so scared" he didn't let me go but his grip loosened, something told me that if I could break away from his grip and make a break for it he would still catch me.

"Are you going to tell Adrian?"

"If it will get you tell me, I won't tell him"

"You promise?"

He was silent for a moments, obviously trying to decide who he had to keep on his good side. There was Adrian who was already unhappy about our private sessions and there was me who could have him replaced with one small conversation to Alberta. I wanted to trust him, he had opened up to me in hopes of me being more comfortable around and I was, it didn't also help that I found him very attractive.

"I promise, now tell me" he finally spoke, still obviously conflicted about his decision.

"Good so yes Michael was an old foster parent. He was and probably still is a drunk there were some nights where he got incredibly drunk that he would force himself onto me, some nights he would just beat me. Jason found me one night, Michael had passed out and I left the apartment. I couldn't get out of telling Jason what happened, so I did. After that he started teaching me self defence in hopes of holding him off but all that did was cause Michael to ship me off to the next family" I couldn't believe how easily I had said that, even thinking about those nights made me so angry or so upset that I wanted to hide in my room and cry. Maybe being here in front of Nikolaus made me hold back my tears or the fact that I had always had this mask when it came to this sort of thing.

"Even if he does find you here, I won't let him do that _ever_ _again_" Nikolaus spoke and then left the gym, hmm guess our session was over. I surely hoped he would keep his promise and not tell Adrian, this was the last thing he needed to know. He was already feeling guilty about me having to grow up in foster homes, he didn't need this as well.

I took a seat on the ground and picked up my phone to message Jason back and let him know I was fine, I knew him well enough to know that if I didn't reply he would keep sending me messages.

_Sorry Jase, just been in classes all day. I know a huge shocker me not on my phone during class. Please don't worry, I'm safe and sound where I am. I won't tell you where I am for your own safety but I can tell you this. My father found me, not an old foster parent or some crazed person. My actual biological father found me and I've been living with him the last few months getting to know him and his family and he's sent me to this prestige school, so I'm trying. I'm trying for him, I want him to be proud of me. How have things been with you? If I remember correctly you should have had your end of exams a while back, how were they? – Adrianna_

I didn't leave the safety of the gym, I was still shaken by Jason's messages that I couldn't face anyone. I was still sitting there when I heard someone enter the gym. I didn't look up from my phone when they came and sat down next to me assuming it was Nikolaus returning.

"How have your private sessions been?" the voice startled me, causing me to jump. I turned and found Rose sitting next to me. I had really missed her being at St Vladimir's, apart from Adrian she was the one I was the most comfortable around even if we didn't exactly the best beginning.

"How come you're here?"

"Lissa forced me to take time off and then she and Christian took off on some royal business"

"Where's Dimitri?"

"Around, I think he went to look for Adrian. Lissa asked us to pick up Eric and Andre since they can't be back for another two days"

"I can't believe the first term is finished"

"It's worse when you graduate"

"You took off after graduation to restore a Strigoi and then you went on the run with said Strigoi and an Alchemist"

"It was still a shock since I wasn't in school anymore"

"What about sophomore and junior year when you and the queen took off" I grinned at her and she shook her head.

"I'm not here to talk about school. I came to ask about your private classes and how you are finding them"

"Fine I guess, I'm still trying to catch up but having my private classes helps"

"They do help, keep taking them. How are you coping and the rumours, and why didn't you tell me about the rumours in the emails?"

"It wouldn't have done anything. I can't believe Adrian told you about those" I groaned as I laid back on the floor.

"I know a little something about rumours Dri, I also had something similar go round. I had returned for senior year and there was a Moroi who had it out for me and Lissa, word got out that I had snuck out to meet up with a guy. She twisted the story so that I was in a comprising situation with two royal Moroi's and that I had also let them feed of me. It was horrible and I hated the feeling of how everyone looked at me"

"I hate it, I've done nothing to anyone. I just turned up and wanted to learn just like they are. I hadn't met any of them and this one chick already has it out for me!"

"Aside from this one girl how do the rest of the students treat you?"

"The dhampirs are fine and I'm still being cautious around the Moroi"

"Why?"

"I'm just worried something is going to happen" I looked at Rose and noticed she was quiet, she never was. She always had something to say whether I wanted to hear it or not.

"What do you remember from the attack at the airport months ago?"

"The white skin and red eyes"

"Exactly, Dri Strigoi and Moroi are two completely different types of vampires. The Moroi here at the academy won't hurt you, you have to know that"

"But Moroi can choose to become Strigoi how do I know that won't happen here?"

"You don't and I didn't either but the Feeders are watched to make sure it won't happen and not many Moroi can overcome a dhampir. If something happened the guardians will know and put a stop to it. You should start by making friends with some of the Moroi, ask some of the novice's you're closer with and see which Moroi they prefer and go from there"

"I'll try, after Christmas break"

"It's a start, come on. I want to see what you've learnt" Rose stood up and held her hand out for me, I grabbed it and let her lead me towards the training mats.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_2 years later_

Adrian POV

Things certainly had changed since I first met Dri, I didn't expect she would want to join the family I had made after leaving her mother in Australia all those years ago but she had proved me wrong by accepting not only Ellie but her younger brothers Nate and Matt. She hated to admit how much she loved her brothers but I could see that she adored them.

I knew what she was like at school when she was in Melbourne, she was regularly in trouble and that was part of the reason she was pushed from home to home. I was proud with how well she had fitted in at St Vladimir's she had made some friends and even got over her fears of the Moroi. At first I wasn't too sure about her private sessions with Guardian Anastas but he had grown on me. In fact he had visited my office a number of times with concerns about her.

Somewhere along the way she had made a new friend, Stefan and he opened the novice world for both Dri and Emily showing them the party scene and both of them had taken to it easy enough. Ever since then she had been in and out of detention or suicide runs with Anastas. I had no problem with any of her friends, in fact I was glad she had made some amazing friends. Yes there were times I wished she stayed out of trouble but then my own mother reminds me of my time at school and I wanted to kick myself. She had gotten her behaviour from me and I only hoped that the boys would stay out of trouble as well.

Aside from her being in trouble regularly I was proud of what she was accomplishing during her classes, she was still behind on her novice classes compared to her classmates but she had caught up and I was proud that she was sticking to it. What shocked me the most was the fact that the same girl who tried to get out of maths in her freshman year was now excelling in the said class.

But her last party at the academy was bad, it was almost Alberta's last straw. In fact the students that were caught, both Moroi and dhampirs, were put on three week long suspension. It was huge gossip floating around the campus and most of the stories were about what everyone thought actually happened at the party. I think it was only the students that were at the party knew exactly what happened and they were keeping it to themselves.

Dri had been back at Court for Christmas break for a week now and I had no idea what to do with her for punishment, this was too far and I know both Alberta and Anastas had given her a lecture. I know I can't really lecture her on what she shouldn't be doing during her school time, I was much worse at her age but the only thing that stopped me from grounding her and not allowing her to see her friends was the fact that aside from the trouble she was causing she was at least keeping her grades up.

"Honey, you're thinking to hard about this" I looked up and found Ellie standing in the doorway to the bathroom. We were about to go to bed and as always she knew what was troubling me. She was the one that helped keep the Spirit at bay and she was my light in a dark room.

"I don't know what to do with her. Alberta said this was huge there were so many students at the cabin, they were risking crossing the wards. I know the academy hasn't been attacked in years but what if there are Strigoi lurking around in hopes of some idiot crossing the wards?"

"But nothing happened, they were all fine. You know Alberta has to punish them, you don't have to punish Dri but you do need to talk to her about what happened"

"I feel like I need to punish her though, this was huge Ellie"

"Then if you're that confused call Rose before she gets on her plane tomorrow, I'm sure both her and Dimitri will be able to help you"

I didn't say anything else, Ellie was right. Even if I couldn't come up with a punishment they should both be able to help me, if Rose couldn't then Dimitri definitely would be able to.

The following morning I was on the phone waiting for Rose to pick up.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey Rose, it's Adrian. Do you have a minute? I need some advice"

_"What did Dri do wrong this time?" _ I laughed at her response, she always knew when something happened to Dri. Considering what happened when Rose and Dri first met I'm glad they were able to get passed it, it gave Dri someone older she could trust that knew what it was like to grow up as a dhampir.

"I'm assuming you heard about the party at St Vladimir's for her birthday"

_"I heard of a party there and a number of both Moroi and dhampirs were caught but I didn't know it was for her birthday_ "

"It was, I know Alberta and Anastas have spoken to her but I feel like I need to do something to make her realise how much of a big deal this is"

_"I've got no clue, you know punishment isn't my sort of thing but I can speak to Dimitri and see what he comes up with?"_

"That would be great Rose. Let me know when you can and enjoy the rest of your holiday"

_"I will and thanks"_

After that I hung up the phone, I had no idea when Rose would get back to me. I knew they both had to get on a plane later on, so they could either get back to me before they got on the plane or once they were back at Court.

A few days later I knew Rose and Dimitri had arrived back at Court but I had yet to hear from them. I don't know if they were still trying to come up with an idea of punishment for me or if they just hadn't had the time.

I was sitting in my office at Court going over my class plans for the new term when I heard someone enter the house. I figured it would just be Dri returning from Emily's. I had let her go and see Emily under the pretence that Emily's mother would be home and she could keep an eye on both girls.

"Adrian?" That wasn't Dri's voice, it was Rose's. I pushed away from my desk and left my office in search of Rose. She most likely went straight for the kitchen in search of food and I was correct I did find her. In fact she was sitting on the kitchen counter eating a bag of chips.

"Dri won't be happy if you eat all her chips" Rose shrugged before jumping off the counter.

"I'm the reason she got addicted to these anyway"

"I know and both Ellie and myself blame you every day for it, sometimes I really hate how you two got close"

"It could be worse"

"I don't even want to think about that, have you come up with a punishment idea?"

"We have, well it was more Dimitri's idea. She still hasn't really grasped what will happen once she becomes a guardian, he thought if she shadowed me for a day while I shadowed Lissa for the day" this was a bad idea, those two got along and I could see the two of them making jokes when they didn't have to concentrate

"You know that isn't punishment, you two get along"

"I will make sure she sees the point behind it all, before it even begins she will have to spar against both of us. Then the next day she will again spar against us and then follow Dimitri around"

"What if that doesn't take? I know she has tried really hard at catching up and keeping up with her classes but I still have no idea if she will become a guardian"

"If she still hasn't gotten the idea of what this all means then I will ask Eddie to join us for a third day of sparring and then she can follow him around. He and Jill are arriving tomorrow"

"What's the point of the sparring?"

"In classes she spars one on one same with her private sessions with Anastas. This will show how hard it can be sparring against multiple people. As for shadowing us it shows different aspects of what could be required. I will show her what it means to be a Royal Guardian, Dimitri will show her what is involved for a regular Guardian and Eddie will show her what is involved with being a Prince/Princess' Guardian"

"I'm still a little hesitant about this, what if after those three days nothing sinks in Rose?"

"You underestimate her, she might surprise you" I was a little suspicious about how well it would work but I agreed with the idea anyway.

It was after dinner when I decided to go and tell Dri about her punishment. I stopped in her door way just as her phone beeped, I watched as her smile grew as she was reading the message.

"Good message?" I didn't even have to ask who it was from, after a while I learnt Jason had a different smile to the rest of her friends.

"Yeah it's just from Jason, he's going camping with some friends. He made this joke about stealing me away from you for Christmas so I could go with him" I tried not to show the disgust on my face, I hated that he was older than her. I also knew he had been bugging her about where she was currently living but at least she kept her promise by not telling him she was in America.

"Should I be worried about something going on between the two of you? He's what, two years older then you"

"Nope, we're just friends. Speaking of friends can I please go and spend New Year's Eve at Stefan's?" I didn't know how I felt about that, she was in trouble and she knew it.

"No way, you're in big trouble"

"You haven't even said anything about that so I figured I was off the hook" she grinned at me, I knew she wasn't trying to convince me of anything since she grinned. It's when she smiles I know she really wants something.

"You think that's how it works in this house?"

"Well technically I don't live here, I spent most of the year at the academy. I spend like 10 weeks total here while 42 are at the academy, roughly 80% of the time at the Academy compared to the 20% here at Court. That's a big difference, you spend just as much time at the Academy as I do"

"Don't be smart. Who would have thought the girl who didn't want to take maths in freshman year was now excelling in the subject"

"Don't start on that"

"What I'm proud of your accomplishments at St Vladimir's and how quickly you caught up with everyone" I walked over and took a seat at her desk.

"Nikolaus says there's still heaps to catch up on" I knew she hated that she was still behind in her novice studies but she had done remarkably well to catch up to the level she was at.

"That wouldn't surprise me but you have done well either way"

"So I'm not in trouble" she grinned again, I couldn't believe she actually thought she wouldn't be in trouble.

"Not a chance, in fact. I have an idea for your punishment" I began explaining the punishment to her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Adrianna POV

It was Christmas break of junior year and god things had changed since my first Christmas when I first entered this world. I had been this timid shy girl in front of the Moroi and was slowly finding my footing with the other dhampirs. Now I'm in junior year and had no problems around Moroi or dhampirs, in fact you would believe I grew up in this world. I no longer had problems around the Moroi, I had several Moroi friends, both royal and non-royal. I had caught up enough with my fellow novices that I had been placed in their combat classes but it wasn't quite the same level so I still kept up my private lessons with Nikolaus.

Emily and one of the other boys Stefan had ended up becoming my best friends here at St Vladimir's. I still kept in touch with Damien and Daniel and I was grateful for the friendship they gave me but we just drifted apart once I came out of my shell due to differences in our personalities.

Along the way Emily was explaining all the different things that happened throughout freshman year since I was confused. She was excited since it was her first year at the senior campus and only now was she able to see what the seniors got up to. Not long after Christmas break of freshman year the senior novices started their six week field experience where they would shadow Moroi to and from their classes for six days and had to protect them from the guardians who pretended to be Strigoi. What was another thing that confused me was how the senior novices conduct then end of year trials; it was like a physical exam where they had to show what they could and couldn't do. It was amazing seeing all of this and realising that in a few years that would be me.

I sort of went back to the girl I was in Melbourne, I didn't exactly cause the same kind of trouble but I also wasn't one to stay out of detention or the multiple laps Nikolaus would give me as punishment. I believe if we had bleachers I would be caused to do bleacher runs. Emily, Stefan and myself were regularly seen at parties, whether they were dhampir or Moroi organised. Which in turn got us seen trying to sneak in and out of our dorm.

The worst punishment we had seen was only a couple of months back, it was my 18th birthday and Emily, Stefan and a couple of novices all decided we should sneak out and spend the night in one of the empty cabins for the night. Moroi had over heard about our plans and decided to crash our party, we had no problem with it since they brought more alcohol with them. The guardians ended up breaking up the party and the students they caught were put on a three week long suspension, we were only allowed to leave our dorms for classes and meals, well I was allowed to leave for my private sessions with Nikolaus.

Speaking of Nikolaus things had been friendly with us, we got along well and he understood my reason for wanting to learn how to fight and he kept his promise and not told anyone about what he found out about Michael and Jason. The only time he wasn't friendly with me was when he had to punish me. The incident after my birthday was the angriest I had ever seen him.

I had woken up late from having very little sleep since Alberta had crashed our party in the middle of the night and began yelling at all of us for being irresponsible and wreck less. I didn't have time for a shower or breakfast, I thought skipping both would give me more time to sleep but it didn't help. I was still running late and when I entered the gym I found Nikolaus over by the punching bags. He wasn't punching to waste time, he was punching because he was annoyed and I only needed one guess to work out I was the reason behind it.

"Morning" I spoke while yawning. He spun around and I could see just how angry he was.

"You know I got a woke up call from Alberta about your party last night"

"Too be honest I would have been surprised if you didn't get a wakeup call. She always pushes my punishment over to you" I shrugged as I started doing my warm up stretches.

"Because you are my responsibility!" he yelled, when he first started yelling at me I was scared but to be honest, the more he yelled the more I got used to it.

"If you didn't like it you could just as easily pass me off to someone else or stop these classes all together. Hardly any of the other novices have these sessions"

"No but they do have mentors and you were the one that wanted to join your fellow novices in classes. You need these sessions to catch up" he had me there, at the beginning of junior year all the guardians that were posted at the academy had taken on a novice to mentor. We came next to the seniors but they were helping us get ready for what was to come either way since we would be seniors next year.

"What's the bet Emily or Stefan didn't get sent to see Guardian Todd or Tanner?"

"It's not the point. I have always taken care of your punishments"

"Aren't you sick of it?"

"No because these punishments make you stronger and a better guardian. You have almost caught up to your classmates in the physical aspect of your education and in theory you are one of the best, you might still be immature and are up for fun more then something that's serious. Considering the disadvantage you had freshmen year you have caught up quickly"

"Whatever, what is my punishment this time?"

"No punishment just a lecture" I stared at him, he rarely gave lectures. Mainly because they weren't his style, when he did give lectures it was because I had been in big trouble. The lecture usually involved the same words.

1\. You were being wreck less

2\. You were being irresponsible

3\. You could have been seriously hurt

4\. You could have been killed

5\. Think of your reputation

Normally when he begins speaking about reputation I always tell him that he's worried about his own, which made things worse off in the end but I couldn't help it. Even though we got along well enough whenever it came to conflict we always butted heads.

I didn't stay for the lecture, in fact I left and avoided him for the next week. I skipped all of our sessions, I avoided him in the cafeteria for meals and if I saw him standing guard in classrooms I would sit on the opposite side of the room to him. He finally got me to talk to him by cornering me during lunch a week or so after the incident. With both of us staying calm enough to talk I was able to stay there long enough for the lecture and he was able to listen to my side of the story.

I had been back at Court for a week now and dad still hadn't said anything about me getting in trouble for my birthday. In fact I was waiting for the explosion but for some reason I believed I was waiting for Rose and Dimitri to return, they both had been given a few days off and they had flown to Baia so Dimitri could visit his family.

It was Christmas break last year when I had started calling Adrian dad, I had only used it once before that to calm him down at the beginning of freshman year. I can't remember why I had all of a sudden started calling him dad but whatever the reason was I'm grateful. Ever since then our relationship had improve significantly and I was able to talk to him about almost anything.

Dad still hadn't found out what happened with Michael but he knew I was still in touch with an old friend from Melbourne. In fact Jason regularly tried to ask where I had been living the last two years but I wouldn't let up. I knew if I told him I was in America he would be confused as to why I was sending him messages in the middle of the night and that was something I couldn't explain.

My phone beeped and I looked at it, I had another message from Jason, he had been quiet the last few months before he had been studying for his university exams but they were finished now.

_Merry Christmas Aid, I know it's early but I'm going camping with some friends. I wish I could know where you were living so I could steal you away from your dad and take you with me – Jason_

I smiled at the message, I really missed him but I wasn't allowed to visit him. Dad was stuck on the whole idea of me staying within the confines of the wards that surrounded the academy and the Court.

"Good message?" I looked up and found dad standing in the door way to my room.

"Yeah it's just from Jason, he's going camping with some friends. He made this joke about stealing me away from you for Christmas so I could go with him"

"Should I be worried about something going on between the two of you? He's what, two years older then you"

"Nope, we're just friends. Speaking of friends can I please go and spend New Year's Eve at Stefan's?"

"No way, you're in big trouble"

"You haven't even said anything about that so I figured I was off the hook" I grinned at him

"You think that's how it works in this house?" too be honest I did, I know Nate and Matt had caused trouble themselves but yet to see them punished. In fact there were times when they annoyed me to no end and I would snap at them and I was the one that got in trouble.

"Well technically I don't live here, I spent most of the year at the academy. I spend like 10 weeks total here while 42 are at the academy, roughly 80% of the time at the Academy compared to the 20% here at Court. That's a big difference, you spend just as much time at the Academy as I do"

"Don't be smart. Who would have thought the girl who didn't want to take maths in freshman year was now excelling in the subject"

"Don't start on that" I narrowed my eyes at him, I may have been doing well in maths but I still didn't like it

"What I'm proud of your accomplishments at St Vladimir's and how quickly you caught up with everyone" I watched as dad walked over and took a seat at the desk.

"Nikolaus says there's still heaps to catch up on"

"That wouldn't surprise me but you have done well either way"

"So I'm not in trouble" I grinned at him

"Not a chance, in fact. I have an idea for your punishment"

"What is it?"

"Since you like to spend so much time having fun and being irresponsible I've decided to give you some responsibility. When Rose returns to work with Dimitri you will spar with both of them and then afterwards you will the day being Rose's shadow"

"You know I get along with Rose"

"I know this but you have no idea what Rose can be like in guardian mode and that's not all of it. The next day you will repeat the sparring session with both Rose and Dimitri and then you will be Dimitri's shadow for the day" I was shocked, he really thought this through. He knew I had fun and could have fun with both Rose and Dimitri as long as they weren't on duty. Dimitri was hard core and was referred to as a god and Rose was just as bad, especially when it came to Lissa.

"I could make things worse if you don't focus and do what they say and add a third day with Eddie" I frowned at him, this was serious and I knew if I didn't take it seriously it would just get worse.

"Fine, I will be good and behave while here at court. If I do everything right and stay on good behaviour can I go to Stefan's for New Year's Eve?"

"I will think about it but I thought he was going to Aspen for Christmas break?"

"Change of plans I guess. I got a text from him earlier, he said Emily was going to be there" I shrugged

"Great you three together on New Year's Eve, it won't end well"

"Hmm, mostly likely us hung over" I grinned at him and he shook his head before standing up and leaving my room.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Adrianna POV

"Dri are you still alive in there?" Dad's voice pulls me out of my half asleep state.

"Yeah I'm alright" I manage to say back.

I know I should get out of the tub but after the last three days my muscles were killing me and I had bruises everything. The hot bath is making everything feel better, originally I was just meant to do two days with just Rose and Dimitri but for some reason they decided I should learn from Eddie as well.

Most of the time I was getting beaten when I sparred with my classmates but there was the occasional fight where I would win and whenever I went against Nikolaus I never won, this made me realise just how much I still had to learn and also how easy Nikolaus was going on me. All three of them had kicked my ass and I ate mat multiple times.

Aside from them kicking my ass I was curious to see what they did as Guardians and how it differed depending on who the Moroi was. Rose spent a lot of time with other Guardians because Lissa was queen and had several Guardians while Dimitri rarely worked with other Guardians unless Christian went somewhere with Lissa where as Eddie worked with another Guardian because Princess Jill Dragomir had two Guardians.

I finally dragged myself out of the bath and left the bathroom only to find both Nate and Matt standing in the hallway. Those two were always up to no good, I had no idea how the school would survive if they were twins.

"Dri!" they chimed together with grins on their faces.

"What do you two want?" I raised an eyebrow at them as I walked closer to them

"Your phone has been going on like crazy" Matt spoke, he was only 12 and was still not allowed his own phone. He was annoyed every time he saw me on it and it was going off like crazy, he was jealous he couldn't talk to his friends whenever he wanted

"We wanted to read your messages but it's locked" Nate always wanted to know what I was up to, if I had a diary he would have been reading it regularly like he was his favourite book.

"And that is why I lock my phone, you two always want to read my messages"

"I was more curious about what lame explanation you were giving mum and dad so you can go see your friends over Christmas break. I heard about your party"

"You don't know anything Matt, and Nate you should spend more time wanting to know what Matt keeps from you instead of what I get up to with my friends" I pushed past both of them and shut my bedroom door behind me. I walked over and picked up my phone and I did in fact have a numerous number of messages, I had left my phone at home while I spent the day with Eddie since it would be a distraction. A couple were from Stefan and Emily while the rest were from Jason.

Stefan and Emily were both along the same lines, we're meeting up tomorrow night for some fun, hope you could come. Whereas Jason's were completely different from the rest

_So my camping trip got cancelled due to Bushfires in the area, since I still have no idea where you are living I hope you are nowhere near the region and you will be fine – Jason_

_I still haven't heard anything so I'm a little worried – Jason_

They kind of went along the same lines, guess there must have been some serious bushfires going back on in Melbourne. It's weird to think that there is snow here at Court while there were bushfires in Melbourne, it wasn't unusual to have bushfires during the summer but it was unusual to have them this early in the season.

_Sorry Jase, I had to complete some work placement thing that dad forced me to do as punishment for the party I attended a few weeks back. I'm nowhere near the fires so I'm perfectly safe, what are you going to do now that camping has been cancelled? – Adrianna_

_I was hoping I could see you, I miss you Aid. I could even come to you, Michael hasn't said anything about you in a few months. I think he has given up on hoping I was still in contact with you – Jason_

I stared at my phone unable to know what to send back. I did miss Jase, I really did. He was my first true friend growing up in fosters home and he made the abuse I received from Michael more bearable but I was unable to tell him the truth of where I was living, no matter how much I wanted too.

He hadn't said anything about Michael in months so I had also assumed that he had given up on me. Not long after Jason had message me saying that Michael had been asking about me, Jason had ended up in the hospital. Turns out Michael had gotten the jump on him in hopes of beating the truth out of him about my where bouts. I felt so bad that I was the reason he got beaten up but he assured me that even if he knew the truth he would have kept it from Michael to make sure I wouldn't go through the same abuse.

In the end I just send Jase a message saying that dad had pulled a surprise holiday on us and I was flying out of the country tomorrow. This would give me a few days until I could come up with another excuse as to not tell him where I was.

I know dad had told me it made things so much easier to not tell him the truth but I hated keeping this secret from Jase, I told him everything about my classes I explained that I was in some high sports program and that was why I did so much physical activity classes.

I placed my phone on my bed and stood up to head into the kitchen for dinner. I was quiet all throughout dinner both dad and Ellie noticed something was up but didn't say anything until Nate and Matt had left the room, they were excited to go play one of their video games.

"Dri what's wrong?" I looked up from my half eaten plate of dinner and gave dad a forced smile

"Jase keeps asking why I can't tell him where I'm living or why I can't see him"

"Dri we have had this conversation multiple times. You know you can't tell him the truth because it involves telling him the truth about who you are, why you are on this vampiric schedule instead of seeing daylight..."

"I miss daylight..." I cut dad off, I knew I shouldn't have done it but it was true. I did miss daylight and not just the human morning light that came through at the end of our night but the full blown day light that was seen in the middle of the human day – or our night.

"Don't interrupt Adrianna"

"Sorry dad"

"You know you can't tell him, he's at a risk. How do we know he can be trusted? There are humans out there that would do anything to become a Strigoi, they believe vampires are the best thing in the world thanks to all those Hollywood movies"

"He can be trusted, I trust him dad"

"Adrianna I said no. I don't care if you trust him, humans can't be trusted. You never know if someone secretly wants this life and they would do anything for it, I mean it. There are humans that serve as slaves for the Strigoi in hopes of being turned one day"

"Then why did you spend so much time with my mother? She was just another human, you had to trust her to have sex with her. When having sex there is always the risk of the female falling pregnant, you had to have known that if she fell pregnant you would have to tell her everything! Therefore you had to trust her!"

"Adrianna I am only saying this one more time. You cannot tell Jason where you are living, lie to him for all I care but he cannot know you are here. That is final, if I have to I will pull you out of St Vladimir's and put you to work in the Guardians office until the end of time" Adrian stood up from the table and left the room not allowing me to say anything else. I turned to Ellie and looked at her.

"I agree with your father, if you seriously believe humans can be trusted go talk to Dimitri" Ellie stood up and left the kitchen to follow Adrian after that.

I stayed at the table trying to decide if I wanted to keep eating, in the end I decided I didn't want too and her telling me to talk to Dimitri was all the permission I needed to leave the house. I didn't go and see Dimitri instead I went to go and see Emily, she was the only one of my friends that knew I was in contact with a human from my past and she understood strangely enough.

I walked over to Emily's house, her mother worked at Court giving her a bit more freedom to see her kids during breaks as well as doing her part to protect our world. Emily had two younger sisters who were just as annoying as my own brothers, except her sisters were dhampirs as well. They all had the same father but her mother wouldn't let it slip as to who he was though.

I entered Emily's room to find her standing there half naked pulling clothes out of her draws, this was nothing unusual for us though she had no problem standing in front of me naked and I had no problem being naked around her.

"What are you trying to accomplish here? I can see you have succeeded in pulling all of your clothes out?" I walked over and took a seat on her bed, funnily enough it was the only place her clothes didn't up on.

"I have a date tonight..."

"Wait what?" I cut her off, I wasn't shocked because she had one. She was beautiful there was no denying it but she was uncomfortable around guys that she liked. It was funny watching how nervous she got around them but I was the complete opposite I had more confidence around guys I liked and I loved to flirt with them whether I liked them or not

"Oh come on it's not that shocking that I have a date"

"It is a little, I have only seen you hook up with one maybe two guys at parties and it's always the same guys!"

"I'm not that predictable"

"No you're just shy around guys you could have anything with"

"I don't have your confidence Dri, not that I'm complaining but why are you here?"

"I got into another fight with dad about Jason again" I sighed as I laid back down on her bed

"Dri you know what I think about this. I also understand where you are coming from, you got pulled out from your old life and you are holding onto whatever friendships you can keep from it but I agree with your dad. It's dangerous to tell him and I won't be the only one to think so, we are raised to believe that and nothing will change it just like we are raised to believe that the Moroi come first. Maybe you should just cut your losses with Jason"

"I can't cut him out Em, he means too much to me"

"Oh come on Dri, I thought you had the hots for Anastas and not Jason?" I looked over her and noticed she was joking. Both her and Stefan always made jokes at my expense about my time with Nikolaus. For some reason they believed something was going on between us and trust me there were moments when I was convinced something would happen but alas nothing ever did.

"I don't have the hots for either of them and why are you going on this date when you have the hots for Stefan?" I had her there, at one point she did have feelings towards Stefan and then she realised how much of an asshole he can be to the females at the academy. Normally it was the Moroi that caught Stefan's eye, it's not to say that he didn't find the female novices attractive he did. He left the female novices alone because there were so few of us and it was easier if he harassed the Moroi.

"We're straying from topic here, you should either suck it up and realise you can never tell Jason the truth about where you are or cut off communication" I stayed quiet for a few moments, allowing her to go back to her clothes and giving me time to think. Before I could even consider my options, my phone rang.

"Crap..." I looked at the screen and dad was ringing me, he had to have realised I wasn't with Dimitri by now.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Adrianna POV

Emily gave me one last look before leaving her room, she had have known I didn't have permission to be here so she also knew that dad calling meant I was in trouble.

"Hello"

_"Where are you? You know you are in trouble that means you can't just leave whenever you feel like it"_

"Ellie said I should go talk to Dimitri about humans and there strange attraction to Strigoi, mind you I have no idea what help he could be. But I decided I wanted to talk to Emily instead"

_"Your friends are part of the reason you are in trouble anyway"_

"Emily is the only one that knows about Jason, I wanted her opinion on the matter"

_"Why couldn't you just ring her like you have been since Christmas break started?"_

"I needed to speak to her in person, it was urgent dad"

_"I don't care, I want you home now before I come over there and drag you home"_

I didn't have the chance to say anything since he had hung up on me. I stayed on Emily's bed for a moment half expecting her to come back to her own room and asked what dad wanted. When she didn't return I stood up in search of her but only found her mum.

"Emily jumped in the shower, she said she will talk to you later and that you should head home before you get into more trouble"

"Thanks Val, can I ask you something?"

"What is it hunny?"

"You still let Em go off and have fun while we're at court. I assumed she would be in trouble like I am"

"Gossip amongst the Guardians travels almost as fast as it does during the students at St Vladimir's. Everyone here knows who you are so if you and Emily get up to something and one of the guardians sees you, chances are word will get back to Adrian and he will convince someone to drag you out of there and also I know you are in trouble for the party. You should head home before Adrian turns up here"

I didn't say anything else to Val I turned around and left the house and headed home. When I returned I found dad sitting in the living with a glass of something in his hands, judging from the colour it was either scotch or bourbon, rum was out of the question since he wouldn't touch the stuff.

"How much trouble am I in?" he looked up from his glass, he wasn't angry which made it worse. I almost suspected the next thing to come out of his mouth was I'm not angry I'm just disappointed.

"I don't know how much more I can do with you. I know how much trouble you caused before you moved here, I knew what I was getting into taking you in but I hoped you would change. Maybe this wasn't the best idea for you" he finished off his glass before standing up and walking over to get another one. He couldn't be serious, I stared at him in shock. If he was unsure about this being the best idea for me what would be the best idea for me?

"What are you on about dad?" he didn't turn around and face me he just placed his hands on the bar

"What I mean is maybe I should pull you from St Vladimir's and put you back into a human school on a human schedule. I still don't even know if you want to be a guardian once this is all done and I'm not the only one curious about it. The only reason you aren't being forced to become a guardian is because no one knows if you will protect the Moroi"

"You can't pull me from St Vladimir's! I want to be there, I made the choice to join in on the classes. You never said I had to attend one of the academies but I chose too!" I watched as he took another sip but he didn't face me. "Turn around and face me dad. This is bullshit!" he finally turned around and looked at me.

"Adrianna how do I know you causing trouble like this is some sort of attention seeking stunt? How do I know you aren't pulling all of this to try and get my attention just so I can see how much you hate it at the academy?"

"Because I don't hate it there! I love being at St Vladimir's, more then I have any of my other schools. It feels like home, I don't want to be pulled from those classes. If I didn't want to be there I would have asked you to pull me out, hell I wouldn't even be doing well in my classes or trying so hard to catch up. How could you not notice this!" I was yelling by this point, I hated that he seriously thought I didn't want to be there.

"I have noticed all of this but why haven't you spoken about what happens after graduation?"

"Because I don't even know if I will make it to graduation. I don't know if I will catch up in time, if I don't graduate I can't become a guardian. I don't want to plan a future I may not get. Do you know what it was like growing up in foster homes knowing that my mother was dead but my father was out there somewhere? For years I hoped you would turn up and claim me but it never happened, I gave up hoping after five years dad!"

"You know that is not my fault, I had no idea you existed!"

"I'M NOT SAYING IT'S YOUR FAULT!"

"Dri please don't yell"

"Then what am I meant to do? You're pretty much threatening to pull me out of school, away from my friends, my family and my home and send me back to the humans where I never felt like I fitted in" I didn't even realise I had tears blurring my vision until I felt the hot tears run down my cheeks

"I don't want to that do, honestly but you keep causing trouble. At some point you're going to go too far and Alberta will have no choice but to expel you"

"And what you have clean record from your time at school"

"No I don't and you know that but I never got expelled"

"Look at who you are. You're an Ivashkov, a royal Moroi who at the time had a family member ruling as queen. You wouldn't have been expelled dad!"

"You don't think I know this? But the point is I don't want you to get expelled, I want you to be able to graduate with your friends and have the life you want"

"Then why can't I tell Jason?"

"We are talking about your behaviour and not about some human boyfriend that for some reason you can't forget. What is so special about this human that you can't forget him?"

"You're forgetting I'm half human. Half of my family are human, why does this affect you so much? Did you forget about mum?"

"I know who your family is Dri and no I never forgot about your mother but even if she had survived and never fell pregnant I wouldn't have kept in contact with her"

"Then why can't I keep him around?"

"Can you seriously keep going on lying to him" I didn't answer him instead I looked at my feet before taking a seat. "Exactly and you know you can't. It's getting harder and harder for you to keep lying to him. Maybe you should just cut your losses now before it gets worse"

"What I'm just meant to stop replying to his messages?"

"He is the only one you talk to on that app, maybe you should just delete it from your phone. Cut him off completely"

"It's not that easy, how did you just up and leave mum?" he let out a sigh before walking over and taking a seat next to me, we had rarely spoken about my mum. I didn't have any information to give up and he kept saying I was too young to hear about what happened between them

"I had too Dri, I was starting to fall for her and I decided to leave before it got worse. I also couldn't keep hiding out here from my own life. The spilt was mutual, your mother understood I had to go back to my life and she wanted to stay in Melbourne"

"This is going to be hard, cutting him out isn't it?"

"Most likely, look if you delete the app and stop talking to him and promise to stay out of trouble I will let you spend New Years Eve with Emily and Stefan"

"You know I can't promise to stay out of trouble" I smirked at him but it quickly fell when I noticed the look on his face

"I won't hesitate to pull you from St Vladimir's and send you to a human school near Court. I'm sure there is some Guardian who is itching to leave Court to escort you to classes every day" he didn't let me reply he stood up and left the living room leaving me sitting there shocked.

I couldn't believe he was actually serious about pulling me from St Vladimir's, I didn't want to go back to a human school. I never understood why but it never felt right, being here now it feels like home.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and send a message to both Emily and Stefan.

_Guys shit has hit the fan, I need to stay out of trouble when we return for the new term. Dad is threatening to pull me from classes. We either need to lay low on parties or get better at hiding them._

I eventually returned to my room while still communicating with both of them, Emily was more than happy to comply but Stefan took some convincing. I knew even if he hid the parties from me he would still attend. The whole time I was messaging those two I was contemplating about what to say to Jase, I knew I couldn't just disappear without saying anything.

He made everything so much easier for me when I was living with Michael and I was grateful for what he did to protect me, even what he was still doing now. I didn't know why he was still protecting me or even why he was still living in the same building but I was grateful none the less.

_Jason I'm really sorry, I honestly am but I can't do this anymore. I can't keep putting you in danger of Michael anymore, I need to know that you are safe and he can't hurt you anymore. I hate knowing I'm the reason he is still harassing you, I need it to stop. I honestly am sorry and I'm grateful for everything you did for me when I was living with Michael. Don't come looking for me, I'm completely safe where I am – Adrianna_

My heart broke as I hit send and before he had the chance to reply I deleted the app off my phone, I then proceeded to turn my phone off. Cutting Jason out of my life like this hurt and for the time being I wanted to be alone.

* * *

**A/N: jpitt – thank you for reviewing it means a lot! As you can tell she didn't disobey Adrian but just because she cut Jason out doesn't mean he is gone from the story, I have plans for Jason so just wait and see. As for Dimitri being the person to talk to is because he was a Strigoi and had humans working for him, I thought he would have an understanding why the humans were obsessed with the Strigoi but the conversation never happens.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Adrianna POV

The rest of Christmas break past without an incident, I had kept my distance from dad. Matt and Nate suspected that something had gone wrong and it had but I wasn't blaming dad for it, in fact I hated knowing he was right. It was hard cutting Jason out but it was easier this way, I wasn't constantly worried about the next time I had to come up with a lie about why I couldn't let him know where I was living.

I was currently sitting in my window, I was lucky enough my room had a window seat and I was able to sit here and look out at the sun when I couldn't sleep. I wanted nothing more than to open my window and sit in the warmth of the sun but sadly it was January, the middle of winter in Montana. The sun might be warm but the air itself wasn't.

Classes started up again tomorrow which also meant my private lessons with Nikolaus started up, ever since my punishment with Rose, Dimitri and Eddie I had a bone to pick with him. I knew he was taking it easy on me and I wanted to know why.

I was woken up by my alarm, at some point I had fallen asleep on the window seat, it wasn't the first time either. I hesitantly stood up and made way to my alarm clock and shut it off. I stretched out my muscles, they were incredibly stiff and a hot shower would help but I knew it would be better to have a shower after my session with Nikolaus.

When I entered the gym I found it empty, it was strange he was always here before me. I think I was even running late this morning. I didn't think anything of it, I just did my warm up stretches before jumping on the treadmill. During the warmer months I normally ran laps outside but once it started getting colder we moved inside. There were days where I had to run outside, Nikolaus always said I had to get used to being in the snow whenever I complained about the cold. Two years was not long enough to get used to the snow.

"This is a surprise" Nikolaus' voice scared me, causing me to lose my footing on the treadmill and I stumbled before falling off the treadmill. He ran over to me and helped me up but when I was standing I noticed I couldn't put any weight on my foot.

"This is your fault" I spoke as he helped me over to a chair

"If you had of been paying attention you should have heard me enter the room, I wasn't exactly being quiet. I figured you would have been late this morning, normally you are for the first lesson after breaks" once I was on the seat he went to retrieve the first aid kit and some ice from the storage room.

I didn't say anything when he returned I just sat there while he pulled my shoe off and tested the mobility of my ankle. I winced as he moved it, I couldn't believe I was back and I was hurt before classes technically started.

It was when his head was bent down that I noticed his neck, he had a new tattoo. He killed a Strigoi over Christmas break. I remembered when I first noticed the tattoos and had asked about them. It was before freshman year and I was at the court, we were having dinner with Rose and Dimitri. At this point I rarely saw Rose with her hair up and I had noticed the tattoos on Dimitri but just assumed it was some weird thing he liked but it was when I noticed them on Rose as well I got curious.

"What's with the tattoos?" everyone went silent, I was confused I didn't know what I said wrong. "What? It's just a simple question"

"I know it is Adrianna, it's just something not many Guardians like talking about. The tattoos refer to many different things, come round here and I will show you on Rose" Dimitri was the one that finally spoke and I did as he suggested and walked around the other side of the table, I stood beside her and looked at the tattoos.

"So this one here is the promise mark, dhampirs receive the tattoo once they graduate. The lighting shape one is called a Molnija Mark we get those when we kill a Strigoi. One Molnija refers to one Strigoi kill. The star shaped one is called a Zvezda mark and it refers to someone having fought in a battle" I zoned out after that, I was fascinated with the tattoos on the back of Rose's neck.

I had heard stories and knew she was an amazing Guardian and these prove just how many Strigoi she had killed. At some point everyone realised I wasn't listening and they went back to their conversation while I looked at Dimitri's tattoos.

"When did you get that?" I spoke as I reached out to touch the back of his neck, I hadn't seen a brand new tattoo and I was curious. I noticed him tense when I touched his neck indicating it was sore, I withdrew my hand. "I'm sorry but you're hurting my ankle, it's only fair"

"I got it a few days ago. It just seems to be a sprain you should be fine in a couple of days" I wanted to ask about the kill but I learnt early on that Guardians didn't like talking about that sort of thing on a regular basis, only in class, so I kept quiet.

"Good it gives you a few days to tell me why you have been going easy on me" Nikolaus stood up and took a seat next to me on the bench and rested my foot across his lap while holding the ice against my ankle.

"What makes you think I've been going easy on you?"

"I sparred against Rose, Dimitri and Eddie during Christmas break and I got my ass handed to me every single time. I couldn't get single hit on them, where as with you I do get hits on you and I don't eat mat nearly as much"

"Was it educational or punishment?"

"Punishment but what does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything, I let you get hits in because you need to know how to follow up after a hit lands. The first time you landed a hit you were so shocked and distracted that I was able to pin you. There are days where I let the hits get through to see how your attacks differ and then there are days where I block every single attack to see how you differ that way. As for proper sparring I was planning on starting it this week, I was going to see how you managed the first few sessions and decide that way"

"Why haven't you been doing proper sparring?"

"Because you do that enough in classes every day, I'm trying to teach you patterns or to look for different options have you not noticed that when you repeat the same manoeuvre I stop you and show you something different on the practise dummy"

"So you mean to say this whole I could have been engaged in proper spars but you've held back?" I wanted to stand up and storm off but he got a good hold of my ankle and he knew I was stuck

"No far from it, you need to learn other options aside from one or two moves. With me not fighting back or blocking them you can practise different hits and plus what happens when you get pinned to the mat?" I was silent, I knew what he was hinting at.

He was talking about Michael, the first time he had pinned me to the mat during our sessions I freaked out. From then on there were times where he would keep me pinned longer to try and get me used to being pinned to the floor so when the time came I wouldn't freak out and end up being killed.

"You know I said goodbye to Jason over Christmas break" I didn't want to talk about Michael and he knew it.

"Good, it was dangerous keeping him around. There was a chance you would slip up and he would discover you were here then there was a chance Michael would have found you"

"Why was everyone so against my friendship with Jason?" I laid down on the bench knowing full well that Nikolaus wasn't going to let me leave anytime soon.

"I'm the only one that knows about Michael, Jason was the only connection Michael add to you. Everyone else had a problem because he was human"

"I know don't start of this, I had enough fights with dad about Jason. Can we talk about something else?"

"Of course, I actually have something in mind. One of the senior Moroi couldn't get off campus during Christmas break and see their family. It has been agreed that they can leave for the day and spend time with their family at the local shopping centre as long as there is enough Guardians. I have been asked to go and I got permission from Alberta to bring you with us as a training exercise, you will get to see how we interact and work together in an environment that isn't as protected as the academy or Court"

"So I get actual field experience?"

"Yes but now looking at your ankle it might not be possible. I may have to come up with something else"

"When is the trip?"

"Two weeks"

"I will be fine by then and you know that"

"I know but I was hoping to have these full two weeks to improve your fighting skills"

"And we will, I want this field trip Nikolaus" I sat up and looked at him. I really wanted this, I needed to see how Guardians worked outside of the wards. I rarely left the safety of wards so I haven't had the chance yet.

"Alright, we will work on it but first you need to rest your ankle before you can even start training yet" he shifted on the bench so my foot was positioned in between his legs and he removed the ice from my ankle. He then began to softly massaging my ankle to help improve blood flow in my ankle before he grabbed the injury tape and tapped my ankle.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Nikolaus POV

Adrianna really surprised me, when I first took her on for these private sessions everything was wrong with how she performed her kicks and punches. I honestly thought she would have given up by now and had Ivashkov pull her out of St Vladimir's. But she proved me wrong and surprised me, she had improved and slightly caught up to her classmates.

I entered gym a little late but I didn't expect her to be there already, she was always late on the first session back after breaks and I could never work out why, no many suicides I would give her she would never change. Expect instead of finding it empty I found her running on the treadmill, she had always preferred running on the treadmill compared to the snow but there was nothing I could do about the snow and she needed to get used to being in the snow.

I walked closer to her and it just showed me how much more I needed to teach her, she had yet to notice me. I needed to teach her to open up her senses and listen to the world around her while focusing.

I stood there for a moment and watched her, wondering if she would increase the speed and incline by herself. Now I would have to be an idiot not realise just how beautiful she was but nothing could ever happened, I was her teacher and she was my student.

"This is a surprise" I didn't think I would actually scare her but I did and she lost her footing causing her to fall. I seriously hoped she was alright, I ran over to her and helped her stand up. I noticed the pain on her face as she tried to put weight on both feet and not long after she leaned to the one side.

"This is your fault" I helped her over to the bench, I already knew she would blame me without her telling me so.

"If you had of been paying attention you should have heard me enter the room, I wasn't exactly being quiet. I figured you would have been late this morning, normally you are for the first lesson after breaks" once she was sitting I went off to the side room to collect the first aid kit and a bag of ice before returning to her.

She didn't say anything when I returned and I assumed it was because I was right about her not listening out for me. I knelt in front of her and pulled her shoe off to test the mobility of her ankle, I could hear her complaining about how I was hurting her but she didn't ask me to stop. She was lucky it was just a sprain and she will be fine in a couple of days.

"When did you get that?" I knew she was talking about the fresh tattoo on the back of my neck, I tensed just as she touched the tender spot around the neck.

I always hated killing Strigoi for a number of reasons, even though we needed to kill them to help keep our races alive but I hated knowing I was killing someone who was once a human, dhampir or Moroi. I was the one wiping their existence from the world. This one was the worst, I was visiting my mum over Christmas break and the family she had been guarding got attacked.

My mum went back to guarding Moroi's once I graduated, she would have stayed at home had Kostas still been alive. I rarely visited my mum and it was because every time I did I would think of Kostas. The few memories I did have of my baby brother I could see just how much him and mum looked alike, where as I looked nothing like them. Mum said it was because I looked too much like my father. I almost lost my mum with this attack, if I hadn't of been there to help her I don't know what would have happened.

This attack reminded me so much of what happened when I was younger, we had gone on a holiday during the summer break from school. I had grown up in some small Greek town close by to the academy in Greece and mum had decided to take us to Athens so we could see the city and the sights. We were out later than expected and Strigoi attacked us hoping they could get a decent feed over the humans they had been regularly feeding on.

"Look after your brother" my mum told me, I knew what she meant. She would fight while I had to stand in front of him. He was only 5

"I got it a few days ago. It just seems to be a sprain you should be fine in a couple of days" I hoped she wouldn't ask about the kill, she had always been curious about everything to do with being a Guardian.

"Good it gives you a few days to tell me why you have been going easy on me" that was another surprise, I wonder why she finally thought that now after two years. I took a seat next to her and pulled her leg around so it was resting across my lap so I could hold the ice there.

"What makes you think I've been going easy on you?" I was going easy on her but it was the only way she would learn. If I kept pinning her every single time she would give up and think it was impossible, I've seen her when she spars with her classmates and she loses most of the time.

We sat there and spoke about the punishment she had over Christmas break and I was glad she had it. Maybe I should have been a harder sparring partner but I had my reasons and they had been working so far, she had been improving and was surprising me with how quickly she was improving and how badly she wanted to improve.

I knew it had always lead back to Michael and what happened at the airport. She hated feeling defenceless and useless.

I hated knowing someone had done what he did to her, it makes me wonder how different she could be if she wasn't the broken girl she was constantly trying so hard to hide. There were moments where I could see just how much what he did affects her, especially in moments when I had her pinned to the mat. I could see her fight this internal battle, it was almost as if her memories are trying to convince her I'm going to hurt her while her brain is trying to tell her that she can trust me. There were a few moments to begin with that she would freak out and get stuck in her memories but she was getting better and that rarely happened now.

"You know I said goodbye to Jason over Christmas break" she was changing the subject from Michael, she hated talking about him and reliving those memories. I hated that she still spoke to Jason, he was the only link she had back to her old life. For all we knew he could be talking to her in hopes of finding out where she lived so Michael could find her.

If Kostas was still alive he would be the same age as Adrianna and because of that I feel like I have to protect her like I couldn't protect him. It's not an older brother instinct with her, it's far from it actually. In fact there's times where the outside world almost seems like it doesn't exist and it's just the two of us, those same times are the times I could almost kiss her but I stop myself. I couldn't let anything happen, I was her teacher and had to know better.

I ended up telling her about the shopping trip that was planned in two weeks, I could see the excitement on her face. There had been a couple of times in the past I had to leave the grounds for various reasons and she always wanted to come with but I couldn't convince Alberta but this time round I had been able too.

Once the conversation stopped I pulled the ice off and massaged her foot to help improve blood flow in her ankle. She leaned back on the bench, I hadn't seen her this relaxed in a while. We made small talk before her class started. When I stopped massaging her foot she complained.

"Come on it's time for class to start"

"I can't even participate today" I lifted her leg up and stood up leaving it resting on the bench

"Doesn't mean you can't listen and learn. You said you wanted to go on this trip in two weeks, for that to happen you need to learn" I didn't let her say anything else, if she did we could end up arguing about this for who knows how long. We were both stubborn and always had to be right.

I stayed and watch her combat class mainly to make sure she stayed off her ankle, I knew she was stubborn and I knew she wanted to learn just so she could go on this trip. I stayed in the back and watched like all guardians normally do, most Moroi like us to be a part of the background.

I watched as Emily and Stefan made fun of her for falling off the treadmill and hurting her ankle. I watched as she sat on the side while her classmates sparred, I watched them all and noticed which ones had the potential to become great guardians while a small few would just end up at one of the academies or another property behind wards or even the one or two who would be stuck with office work.

I almost got put on office duty but when a position opened here at the academy they decided to ship me out here and not hold the one incident against me since I had the perfect record beforehand as well as being the top of my class.

First period was over and I watched as both Emily and Stefan helped her out of the gym, I figured if she strayed to her word about staying off her ankle I didn't have to keep an eye on her for the rest of the day.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Adrianna POV

The two weeks went by too slow for my liking, I was too excited for the shopping trip that was happening tomorrow. Classes had finished for the day and I was sitting with Emily, Stefan and a few of our other friends before dorm curfew cuts in and the Moroi have to return to their own dorm rooms.

Once everyone got over the fact that I tripped on the treadmill and hurt my ankle that way, mind you there were a lot of jokes at my expense, everyone was too busy asking about the trip I was taking. I didn't even tell anyone so I have no idea how word got out that I was going with the guardians.

"I can't believe you get to go shopping tomorrow Dri" I looked over at Belle, she was a Moroi that I shared my math class with last year and Moroi Culture 3 this year. She was jealous because she believed I was being taken off campus to go shopping not experience what it's like to be an actual guardian

"Belle don't be stupid, she isn't going shopping. I doubt Anastas will let her try anything anyway" Belle hung her head at Jeremy's comment. Jeremy was a Moroi and not just any Moroi he was a part of the Ozera family and he wanted nothing to do with the other royals. He was more than happy to spend time with us novices and non royal Moroi. He was also the one guy in our grade that all females wanted to get with and I was lucky enough that he thought I was the most fun to flirt with. I never shared a class with him until this year when we shared Moroi Culture 3 with Belle but he shared classes with Stefan freshman year and we began hanging out at the same parties.

"You're right Jeremy but I believe Anastas would rather watch Dri try on clothes" I leaned over Emily and punched Stefan, he was such an asshole sometimes.

"You're an idiot Stefan. You know nothing is going on between us"

"No but I have seen the way he looks at you and I'm not the only one" no one agreed with him, it made me wonder what he was going on about. Stefan, Emily and Jeremy were the only ones amongst my friends that always made jokes at my expense for my close friendship with Nikolaus, the rest of our friends were used to the jokes but also never commented on the friendship.

"You're such an idiot. Come on dude, Anastas is practically a teacher and he is her teacher. Why would a teacher make a move on a student" ahh there goes Carter and his common sense. He was a novice like us except he hated coming along to the parties we snuck out to. He always knew we went but did the right thing by us and kept his mouth shut.

"Thank you Carter" a bell rang indicating it was time for everyone to head back to their dorms. Even though curfew had started we still had an hour until we had to be in our rooms.

"Come on Belle it's time to head back and see what parties are happening in our dorm" Jeremy stood up and smiled at everyone. Belle left the lounge but Jeremy stayed behind. He walked over to me and leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Have fun shopping tomorrow and if Anastas tries anything let me know and I will take care of him" he softly kissed me cheek before winking at me and leaving the lounge as well.

I was completely confused, yes we like to flirt with each other but nothing like that. I turned to my friends and stared at them, they were just as shocked as I was. They had seen us flirt but knew nothing would ever happen between us. He was busy hooking up Moroi and I either did stupid things while drunk or on the rare occasion hook up with guys.

"What was that about?" Carter was finally able to speak first

"I've got no idea Carter, he's never been like that" I shook my head at him

"Maybe he's jealous that you won't hook up with him"

"Stefan why would he need to hook up with Dri when he can have sex with the Moroi girls that follow him around"

"Not all the Moroi girls follow him about Em, Belle doesn't"

"That's because Belle would rather follow around the same sex" Stefan grinned. I sat back and listened to my friends argue about Jeremy's action tonight. They rarely made jokes at Belle expense, she wasn't completely gay. She was bisexual and had no problem dating either sex, her parents didn't know and she knew eventually she would marry a guy and have kids with him but for now she enjoyed both sexes. Stefan had always enjoyed it though, even since he found out he was hoping that one night at a party he could get two girls drunk enough to have a threesome with them but he was unsuccessful yet.

"Alright guys, I'm going to head up and get some sleep. I've got a long day of classes before I head off tomorrow" I said goodnight to them before heading up to my room. I wanted to make sure I had everything packed since we would be leaving right after classes had finished and we would be stopping for dinner along the way.

Once classes had finished the next day I quickly went back to my dorm room and dumped books and quickly changing clothes before rushing out to the admin building. I found Nikolaus standing there talking to Sarah and Tanner, I noticed the Moroi we were going to be guarding in question standing off with her friends. It was Emery Tarus, no wonder this trip was allowed she was freaking royal Moroi along with her two friends, Carly Zelkos and Camille Badica. I'm surprised there weren't more guardians coming with us considering we were taking three royal Moroi off campus. I never really got along with Emery, Carly or Camille so I knew straight off that the trip will be interesting.

When I first started at St Vladimir's they all tried to become my friends since I was technically an Ivashkov but at the time I was still nervous around Moroi. Now when I have no problem around Moroi they can't stand me, once they realised I didn't want to know them they became friends with Lindsay and the four of them tried to make my life a living hell. I think right now Lindsay would be fuming that I was allowed to leave the grounds and safety of the wards with her friends while she was stuck here.

"Glad you could make it on time Miss Ivashkov" I turned around at the sound of Tanner's voice. Nikolaus was standing behind Tanner and Sarah leaning against the wall and he was smirking. Almost like he knew I was about to get in trouble.

"I had to get changed after class, I would have thought there would be more be more guardians coming with us since there are three royal Moroi"

"There will be two cars, the rest of the guardians are outside by the vehicles, come on its time to leave" Tanner spoke before walking over to the others and getting their attention.

We were standing outside trying to work out who would go in what car, I was standing at the back listening and learning.

"Why do I have be in the car with her, why can't I sit with my friends?" great there goes Emery complaining. She was the one that was being forced to sit away from her friends with the rest of the guardians and myself.

"You were the one that wanted your friends to come. Since they are coming we need more guardians, there for there are too many of us for one vehicle. One of you has to be alone for the trip" Sarah had a good point and Emery knew it. Emery shot me a glare before storming over to the car and jumping in the front seat.

Everyone went off to get into their cars. I turned and faced Nikolaus, he knew who the Moroi were and he didn't tell me for a reason.

"You knew"

"I did" I didn't say anything, I just pushed past him and got into the car. Turns out I should have listened better, I was sitting in the back seat with both Nikolaus and Guardian Todd. I didn't know much about Guardian Todd except that he was a teacher at the junior campus and he was also Stefan's mentor but that's it.

"So what's the plan for today?" I looked at both of them knowing they would have worked out the details already

"We're meeting Lord and Lady Tarus there along with their guardians. One of them is a female so her and Sarah will follow the family and the other girls around shop to shop not looking to suspicious. Where as you and Nikolaus will follow behind them, you can pose as a couple and make it seem like you are dragging him around the shops while the rest of us will be even further behind and spread out keeping an eye on things" I wanted to speak but I couldn't, first Jeremy acting weird last night and now I had to act like Nikolaus was my boyfriend.

"The reason behind the fake relationship is because I have to explain certain things to you along the way hence why we are together. I'm one of the youngest guardians amongst the group so it won't look weird for us to be together" it made sense but it was still weird

"So I get to spend all day walking around the shops with a fake boyfriend?"

"Yes"

"So I'm allowed to go shopping?"

"Yes and no" I frowned at Nikolaus, I was a little excited about this trip.

"You're allowed to buy stuff, it will be part of the cover. But you aren't allowed to try anything on in case the other girls leave. We aren't going to be a part of their group but we will be tapped into the communication system so we can be told where they are going and follow them a few minutes later" that was a little bit better I guess, I was allowed to shop with the minimal allowance I had and I just had to guess sizes.

"I can deal with that, does that mean I get one of those ear pieces that everyone else seems to be wearing?"

"No"

"Do I at least get a weapon, I don't doubt for a second that all of you will have a silver stake and a gun on you" I raised an eyebrow at Nikolaus and Todd laughed at me

"No you don't. Come on you haven't even learnt how to use a silver stake yet and where are you going to hide a gun?" damn it he had a point. At the moment I was wearing a big jacket that could hide the gun but once we were at the shopping centre I would leave the jacket in the car leaving me in just jeans and a hoodie.

I rode the rest of the way talking about various tactics with both Nikolaus and Todd while Guardians Reynolds who was driving would add his own opinion here and there.

When we arrived at the shopping centre Nikolaus and I went off on our own while we waiting for confirmation from Sarah about when they were heading but while we waited Nikolaus took me to a small cafe and ordered us something to eat on the go.

"So what is the go with this fake relationship? I'm assuming there will be some boundaries since you're a teacher"

"Alberta said no kissing but the rest is what you are comfortable with"

"And if Emery, Carly or Camille see anything? You know they will go back to the academy and start rumours about us"

"They have been told what we will be doing, if they start any rumours or tell anyone what they see here they will be in trouble and won't be allowed anymore trips like this. All of their parents understand that this is a learning situation and they respect that"

"Then I suppose I cannot worry about that. I suppose normal boyfriend girlfriend stuff" I shrugged at him as I stopped look through one of the shop windows.

"If you aren't comfortable with any of this"

"No it's fine, hand holding and hugging will be fine but once I have too many bags you will be carrying those instead like a good boyfriend" I grinned at him and the look on his face was priceless.

"I honestly did not think this through"

"Too bad you're stuck now" I grinned at him

"Come on, I know where they are" I followed him towards the first shop


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Adrianna POV

The trip was half over and I was exhausted but I was pushing through, I had been awake for nearly 24 hours and all I wanted to do was go back to the academy and go to sleep in my bed. We were currently sitting in a food court having what would be considered lunch if we were on a human schedule. I looked around the room and noticed that the guardians that would normally blend in to the background were sitting at tables having something to eat as well, they weren't all in one big group but several smaller ones.

I was sitting by myself at the table since Nikolaus had just gotten up to go to the bathroom. I was doing what he told me by scoping out the room, I can see the Moroi within in my vision as well as the other guardians and emergency exits in case something went wrong.

"Adrianna?" my head snapped around at the voice that sounded so familiar but I couldn't quiet place. I was shocked by who I saw standing there, it was Jason.

"Jason what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same thing Aid, why haven't you been replying to my messages?"

"It's safer for you this way, this way you can't find out where I'm living and there is no way it can get back to Michael"

"Fine then what are you doing here?" I was quiet I didn't know what to say, I couldn't tell him why I was here because I was in fact here to make sure the Moroi didn't get injured or killed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the guardians spilt their focus, some were watching me while the rest were watching the Moroi. Even though technically I was working as a guardian for field experience I was still a student under their care, it was why I had been paired with Nikolaus all day.

"I'm here with my dad and his family. What are you doing here?"

"Well since our camping trip got cancelled we decided we wanted to go skiing so we flew over here. One of the guys loves the slopes in Montana instead of Aspen" I forgot that Jason was rich, of course he would have rich friends that could just pick up and fly to another country because they could

"Glad you could turn around your holiday though"

"Yeah me too, I'm curious why you are here though. You always hated the cold"

"Things change" I shrugged at him I felt an arm wrap around my waist and I noticed the other guardians change their focus.

"Sorry I took so long babe, I noticed something in the window" Nikolaus leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek and it felt odd, even hearing him call me babe felt odd.

"It's fine, this is Jason. You remember me telling you about Jason don't you?"

"Of course I do. Nice to finally meet you, I'm Nikolaus" he held his hand out for Jason to shake but he couldn't move, I think he was shocked by seeing me in another country and finding out I had a boyfriend.

"Nice to meet you as well, Aid how come you never told me you had a boyfriend? It must be serious enough for him to come along on a family holiday" great more lies I had to try and come up with but luckily enough Nikolaus spoke first

"Our families are close, my family is here as well. It's how we met in the first place" I noticed that Lord and Lady Tarus had stood up and left the food court. Some of the guardians were nervous about leaving us alone but the Moroi came first so they left us. I assumed they had sent a message over the ear pieces to Nikolaus but since I didn't have one I was out of the loop.

"Come on we should go Nikolaus. It was nice seeing you Jase" I smiled at him as I tried to walk away with Nikolaus, he pulled his arm away from my waist and grabbed my hand.

"No wait, we aren't done talking Aid. I get sent this random message about how you can't do keep putting me in danger and then you won't reply to my messages anymore. I find you in some shopping centre with some random guy and I find out he is actually your boyfriend. What else have you been keeping from me?"

"Jase you should go find your friends and we have to go"

"No I deserve some explanations" Jason grabbed my wrist and held tight. I could just as easily get out of this but it would just raise more suspicions.

"No you don't. I don't have to tell you anything, you now need to let me go before you regret it"

"I did what I could to protect you from Michael then and now, I deserve to know what was so special about you"

"You don't deserve anything. Michael has no idea where I am living and he won't be able to find me, now let go" I narrowed my eyes at him but he just gripped my wrist tighter. Nikolaus had let go of my and I thought he was going to move closer to Jason and threaten him but I acted first. I moved my other hand and gripped his hand that was gripping my waist. I put all my weight on my back leg before pulling Jason down and then up again to flip him.

When he went down he pulled a table with him causing a loud noise and everyone to face us. "I told you to let go Jason. You don't have to worry about me anymore, I can take care of myself and Michael won't be able to find me" I grabbed my bags that were sitting underneath the table before walking away from the food court. I had no idea where everyone else was but I needed to get away from Jason.

I wanted to know what he meant by me being so special but I couldn't go back and ask him. When I felt like I was far enough away from the food court I stopped to wait for Nikolaus to catch up. I was standing there looking in the mirror of a jewellery store waiting for him when someone grabbed my shoulder. I freaked thinking it was Jason but I turned around to find Tanner standing there.

"Where are they?"

"In the store, I'm surprised you haven't seen them"

"Pretty things catch my attention" I tried to put on a smile to make the joke better but I couldn't

"Who was that guy you were talking with?"

"Just someone from my past, where's Nikolaus?"

"He will be here shortly, he's just making sure the guy doesn't follow us. He wants me to keep an eye on you for now"

I didn't say anything, I just walked into the store and watched the Moroi spend their money while barely looking at anything. I was walking around pretending to look at the jewellery while waiting for Nikolaus. At some point I had noticed a necklace that stood out against the rest of them, it was a stunning silver necklace that had a tree of life charm on it.

"If you like it buy it" I turned my head and found Nikolaus had finally caught up with us.

"It's not like I have somewhere to wear it and knowing them this place is probably expensive. Why did you follow Jason?"

"Too make sure he didn't follow you. Do you know what he meant by you being special?"

"No clue, I was confused as well" I shrugged and noticed that the Moroi were finalizing their purchases.

I walked away from him and went to a different part of the store. I was having fun today but running into Jason had ruined my mood and I just want to go back to the academy and find Emily. I was aimlessly wondering when Nikolaus came back to me and placed a hand on my back.

"Come on their at the next store, I think it's just around the corner"

I shrugged and followed him to the next store and I almost laughed when I saw what it was, it was a lingerie store. This could be incredibly hilarious or incredibly embarrassing for both of us.

"You've got to be kidding me" I heard him speak under his breath. I turned and faced him with a smile on my face.

"Come on, you know we have to whether you hate it or not" I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the store. I had never seen the appeal with lingerie when I was younger.

This wasn't exactly a store where Nikolaus could walk off on his own, he had to stay by my side which caught the attention of the sales girls and one of them made their way over to where we were currently standing.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No thank you, we are just looking at the moment"

"Babe don't be silly, we were actually looking for something in particular" I turned and stared at Nikolaus he was doing this to get back at me for making him come in here.

"Very well is there anything you had in mind"

"I'm sorry, you look very helpful but he is being an idiot and crossing a line here" she looked annoyed and left us while I turned and faced Nikolaus.

"Oh come on you knew what would happen if we both walked in here"

"You didn't have to tell her we needed help though. Where did you seriously think that would go?"

"Could have been interesting"

"I'm leaving this store, it's too far" I turned around and left the store. I knew I shouldn't have but today was all about doing what I felt comfortable with and I didn't feel comfortable being in that store with him especially after what happened with Jason.

I was sitting on one of the benches outside the store and when the Moroi left the store, they seemed to head towards the car park. It meant we were heading back to the academy and I was glad for that. I wanted to sleep so badly.

I was still sitting there when Nikolaus walked over and sat next to me. "I'm sorry for taking that too far. All day you have been fine making jokes like that, did seeing Jason really put you out?"

"I didn't expect him to be here, it almost feels like he is closer to finding me"

"I told you, he won't find you here. Come on we should head back to the cars so we can leave" I nodded and stood up to follow him. I trusted Nikolaus, I always have. It's why I trust him when he pins me to the mat, I trust that he won't take advantage of me and that he is doing what is good for me so I can learn to become a great guardian one day.

I was walking behind him not saying anything, he wasn't speaking either. It was because he knew I was either tired or worried about Michael. Somewhere along the way someone grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Nikolaus and down some side alley, my instincts kicked in and I went to attack the person who grabbed me but he blocked me.

**A/N: GwennyDee – You left three reviews so I will address them one by one. As for what Dri went through with Michael, I agree no one should but it's what is surrounding the next few chapters of the story but it is rarely mentioned. As for the similar rumours between Dri and Rose, I do draw some ideas from the original story but I make slight adjustments along the way. Making them kiss would make it all interesting but sadly no...not yet anyway. If you are referring to Nikolaus who wanted to kiss Dri then yes he does, I'm having fun writing from both POVs and as for the 'one incident' I'm sorry to inform you that it won't be covered for a few chapters so you will have to guess as to what happened. If you do take a guess I will happily tell you if you are correct or not and if you are I might even send you an overlook of the conversation that takes place when it is covered. Thank you reviewing and I'm glad to know you are enjoying my story.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Adrianna POV

I was shocked at seeing that Jason was the one that grabbed me, it confused me. He was even able to block my attack, almost like he knew I was going to attack him again.

"I wasn't ready before but I am now. I must admit you surprised me, I know I taught you basics but this is above and beyond what I taught you. I knew you were in a sports program but I did not expect you to have this body" I didn't know what Jason wanted with me but the way he was looking me up and down made me nervous. He always seemed like he was trying to protect me, why was he being like this

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm curious as to why Michael is still looking for you, most rapists just move onto the next girl but you, no he seems to be fascinated with you. My promise still stands about protecting you from him but I am curious"

"There is nothing special about me now let me go before you regret it"

"There isn't anything that you can do that will surprise me" I looked at him, he couldn't be that much tougher then the guardians I have fought or even the other novices I train with me. I can handle the hits and know how to dodge, maybe I can do enough to make a run to the car park.

I found my opening and I threw a punch, it was obvious and he blocked it which was what I wanted. It allowed me to throw a punch with my other hand and have it land in his ribs. He threw a punch back that connected with my face and damn did I forget how much it hurts being punched in the face, during classes the face was off limits for health reasons.

He grabbed me and pushed me against the wall placing a hand around my neck. "You will not try that again or I will make you regret it. I love you Aid and no one else can have you, not even your boyfriend. He can't possibly love you as much as I love you"

"Lucky for me my boyfriend fights better then you"

"You're boyfriend isn't here to protect you right now Aid. It's obvious he doesn't love you otherwise he would be" he was pressing his hand tighter around my neck cutting off my airway. I was still shocked that he was doing this, why did I let it go this far with him. Why didn't I take dads advice and cut off all communication earlier then Christmas. I tried to push him away but him having a hand wrapped around my throat was causing problems and being pinned against was making it hard to throw a punch or a kick, I couldn't put any motion behind the hits.

I didn't notice where Nikolaus came from but he attempted to pull Jason off me and I somehow came with him hitting my head against something on my way down. It wasn't strong enough to knock me out but it was enough to make the room spin. I laid there on the floor and watched as Nikolaus punched Jason, if Jason hadn't taken martial arts classes it would have been easier but he knew how to fight which meant he knew how to block the hits Nikolaus was sending his way.

Nikolaus was finally able to get Jason to stay down on the ground and he walked over to me and knelt beside me. He brushed my hair out of my face to get a look at where he hit me, it hurt. I knew I would have a mark tomorrow.

"I'm so sorry Dri, I shouldn't have let you out of my sight" he never called me Dri, it was always Adrianna. He rang his fingers over my neck to make sure there was no damage and damn did my neck hurt as well, I didn't realise when Jason had a hold of it but now with Nikolaus touching it, it hurt. I closed my eyes to try and focus on anything else but the pain.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you" he spoke softly as he stroked my cheek, he was acting weird but I couldn't speak to question it. He picked me up and carried me out to where the cars were parked, I leaned him into and tried to get some rest but the pounding in my head was getting worse by the minute.

"What happened to her?" someone spoke making my headache worse, I assumed we were at the cars by now.

"Someone attacked her"

"You must not be doing a good job teaching her if she came out looking like that"

"He knew enough to make it hard, it's also the same guy she was speaking to in the food court. She was shocked that someone she knew was attacking her, some people hesitate when they came across a Strigoi that they know, why should this be any different" Nikolaus placed me in the car, I wanted to complain that he left me but I couldn't. I couldn't let them all know I was scared and he was the one that made me feel safe. I heard the door shut and I couldn't hear anymore of the conversation.

The car door opened and everyone else piled in. "Lord Ivashkov is going to lose it when we get back to St Vladimir's" someone spoke as whoever was driving started the car.

I didn't even think about dad in all of this, he was going to lose it when he sees me and lose it even more when he finds out that Jason was the one that did this to me. I had no idea who was in the car with me but I surely hoped Nikolaus was again and that he was the one sitting next to me. The car door wasn't soft enough for my head so I leaned over to the other side and rested my head against the body that was there, they shifted so their arm was around me.

"Are you alright?" I knew that was Nikolaus' voice, it was soft enough that it didn't make my headache worse. I shook my head at him, I wanted my headache to go away and my throat hurt when my breaths were too deep. "Get some rest Dri" I felt him press his lips against my head as I started to doze off. I really needed sleep and my body was finally succumbing to it.

I was woken up by two loud voices, it seemed like they were yelling at each other. I was too dazed to work out who the voices belonged to I only knew that there were two different voices, they were male and one sounded really angry.

"How could you let this happen! You were meant to look after her"

"I did the whole day, I didn't realise she fell that far behind me allowing someone to grab her without me noticing, she didn't make a sound when they did"

"But someone was able to get the jump on her, what have you been teaching her all this time!"

"Will you stop yelling, you will wake her up" that was a different voice, it was female. I opened my eyes and realised I was in the hospital but I couldn't see who was arguing.

The female in question came around the corner and I realised it was one of the doctors here. "Miss Ivashkov glad to see you awake, how are you feeling"

"Really out of it and my head still hurts" well that's what I planned to say but my voice was all croaky from whatever damaged happened to my throat. At that moment dad and Nikolaus appeared around the same corner, guess I know who was arguing now.

"Dri what happened, no one will tell me anything" I looked over at Nikolaus in shock, I assumed he would have said something, hell even one of the other guardians that were there but no one had said anything. I didn't want to think about it, let alone repeat what happened.

"You tell him" I was looking at Nikolaus, I could see he didn't want too but I had more reasons.

Eventually he gave in and told the full story of what happened, beginning with what happened with Jason in the food court. The only thing he left out what the fake relationship we had, I knew how dad would react if he knew about it.

When Nikolaus finished telling the story I saw that dad looked furious, he didn't say anything he just stormed out of the room. I didn't even realise the doctor had left, so I was alone with Nikolaus. Whatever mask he had on in front of dad fell, there was concern written on his face as. He walked over and took a seat on the chair beside the bed.

"I'm sorry Dri"

"Why? It's not your fault"

"I should have kept a better eye on you and not let you walk behind me"

"It's not your fault, at least you came to look for me"

"Dri..." I was still confused as to when and why he started calling me Dri

"It doesn't matter, I'm here and you arrived when I needed you too. Why have you started calling me Dri?"

"If I had of gotten there earlier you wouldn't be in here" of course he ignored the name comment

"At least I'm alive or here at all. He was talking like a crazy person, I had no idea what he was going on about"

"What was he talking about?"

"He wanted to know what was so special about me as to why Michael was still looking for me, he said he loved me and you didn't deserve me, he wanted me all for himself"

"He doesn't know you're here, neither him nor Michael will find you behind these wards. They might believe it's a prestige school if they come across it but they won't get past the guards. Get some more rest" I did what he suggested and curled but up in the bed and got some more sleep.

I was woken again later but instead of someone yelling, someone climbed into my bed beside me. I opened my eyes and found Stefan sitting on my bed.

"You know I'm meant to be resting but you climbing into my bed doesn't help" I frowned at him and he shrugged as he moved down on the bed so he was lying beside me.

"How do you feel?"

"Better now I suppose, how bad does my face look?"

"You're face looks fine, it wasn't earlier. I'm assuming your dad healed you" now that I thought about it I wasn't in nearly as much pain as I was earlier. Dad must have come back in after I went back to sleep healed my injuries, if he could heal a bruised face and sore throat why couldn't he heal my ankle when I sprained it two weeks ago.

"Maybe, where's Emily?"

"I've got no idea, I tried finding her before I came here but no luck"

"What rumours are going around?"

"Nothing, people know you're in here but just assume it was a training injury"

"I can't believe those bitches kept their mouths shut"

"Which bitches?"

"Emery, Carly and Camille were the Moroi that we were guarding, they had of known what happened but they were told they couldn't tell anyone what they saw while we were out"

"Why what would they have told?"

"Well Nikolaus and I were pretending to be dating, it made it easier to follow them into to shops and I was able to stay by Nikolaus and allow him to explain certain things"

"I knew something was going on with you two"

"Nothing is going on, have you seen Jeremy?"

"No why?"

"I want to know why he was acting so weird the other night"

"We all do Dri, we tried asking him after classes but he said it was normal and we are seeing something that wasn't there"

"There was something there, it wasn't just nothing. Maybe I will have to ask him when I get out of here, how long have I been here?"

"Well you left after classes on Friday and it's now Sunday" great I had been in for well over 12 hours. Now I really wanted my own bed but I was still incredibly tired. I snuggled closer to Stefan and he wrapped an arm around me while I fell asleep in his arms.

**A/N: Guest – Thank you for reviewing and I'm glad you love this story. I'm glad you love the relationship between Dri and Nikolaus, I had to make them different considering they met in Dri's freshman year where as Dimitri and Rose met during her senior year. You will have to keep reading and find out if they end up together, but I'm glad you want to read more.**

**Kiauna Gray – at least your honest, I know I'm not great at summaries but I agree about finding a story with a twist and I'm glad you loved this one.**

**jpitt – Unfortunately from this chapter you can tell they won't end up on better terms and no Michael hasn't been brought into yet, as for why she didn't yell. I didn't think that part through, sorry about that but let's say a hand was put over her hand.**

**Thank you to everyone else who keeps reading this story as well as everyone else that set an alert for this story, please keep reviewing they inspire me to keep writing.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Adrianna POV

When I was finally let out of the hospital it was the near curfew but do you know what the problem is having been asleep on and off for the past who knows how many hours? I can't sleep when I need too. I couldn't take it, even sitting in my window wasn't enough to relax my mind. Even out of curiosity I had downloaded the messenger app on my phone to see what messages Jason had sent me but reading them just made things seem worse, he still seemed like the caring friend who I considered an older brother. I didn't know what happened that made him snap, I felt like it was my fault and I hated looking in the mirror. The bruises may be gone but I could picture them clearly.

I ended up sneaking out of my room and heading towards the court yard near the novice dorms to sit in the sun. Being in the sun helped me think better, I always loved being outside. I just wished it was warmer and the snow would disappear.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by hearing a crunch behind, I spun around and found Nikolaus standing there.

"I didn't mean to scare you but at least your listening to your environment" he walked over and sat down next to me

"Are you working security or did you receive word of me sneaking out?"

"Both actually, I knew I would find you here. Why aren't you asleep?"

"That's the funny thing about sleeping on and off for the last day or so. I'm no longer tired, I needed to get fresh air"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine" I looked at him and put on a fake smile, I don't know why I bothered. For some reason he figured out how to tell when I'm lying and he won't tell me his secret.

"Don't lie, what's bothering you?"

"This whole thing with Jason, before Christmas I sent him a message telling him I couldn't keep putting him in danger because of Michael and then I deleted the app. I downloaded it earlier and there were messages from him. He seemed like the same sincere guy that was looking out for me and I couldn't work out what made him flip like that"

"You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened with Jason, you tried to fight him I saw it but he was bigger then you and had you pinned against a wall"

"What if he tells Michael I was here, what if even after what he said about wanting to protect me he loses it and changes his mind. What if he figured anything Michael does to me I deserve?" I didn't even realise I was crying until he reached over and wiped away my tears.

"I can tell you over and over that they won't find you here but you need to trust me and believe me when I say that. Maybe you should tell someone else about what happened with Michael"

"Who would I tell? You know as well as I do that dad would lose it, look at how he was when I was in the hospital. He will want to go back to Melbourne and look for Michael for himself"

"Maybe not your dad, maybe a therapist? Dri there are only so many times I can tell you that you are safe here" he could be right but I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone else about Michael, after I told Nikolaus about it I spent the night in my room bawling my eyes out, the memories had been pushed away for so long that once they were back I couldn't get rid of them.

"Why did you start calling me Dri?"

"Everyone else does, why not me?"

"Because you never have until after I was attacked"

"Do you have a problem with me calling you Dri?"

"No, it sure as hell beats Aid" I never wanted anyone to call me Aid again, I liked that he was the only one that did it before the attack and now I couldn't stand the name.

"Come on I should help you sneak back in. You need to get some sleep before classes tomorrow, you may not be allowed to participate in practical lessons but you will need to be focused in your theory classes"

"I'm enjoying the sun"

"Come on, you should get back before someone else catches you out here"

"No there was something I wanted to ask you but you never came back to see me in the hospital" he had kissed me twice when the fake relationship wasn't need and I needed to know why. It was confusing me and I was still confused about what happened with Jeremy.

"What do you want to ask me?"

"You kissed me twice when the fake relationship wasn't needed, why?"

"I guess I just got into the role of being a fake boyfriend. I'm sorry if I crossed the line there" I didn't say anything else, I got an answer. It might not have been the one I wanted but it was one none the less.

I barely made it through classes the next day, I was currently sitting in eighth period, it was Moroi Culture 3 and I shared it only with Belle and Jeremy out of my main group of friends, for some reason the others had been placed in different Moroi Culture 3 classes during other periods.

We had been given assignments and we had to work in pairs. I had chosen to work with Jeremy and Belle went off to work with Lucas, I liked Lucas and so did the rest of our friends but he didn't like the party scene we were all into and that was fine with us. Belle sometimes spilt her time between us and his group of friends, the two of them were childhood friends. Belle and Lucas' mothers were best friends and still were to this day.

"Dri what do you think?"

"Huh sorry I'm not paying attention"

"I noticed, what's up?"

"Just tired, I couldn't sleep last night. I spent so much time sleeping over the weekend that I couldn't sleep last night"

"Well aside from you being sleep deprived I'm glad you are feeling and looking better"

"You visited me?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"I never saw you, I assume I was asleep"

"You were. How about we finish this assignment and we can talk about this later" he gave me a small smile but I agreed, mainly because there is so much more I wanted to talk about but it was better done in private. I put all the energy I had into working on this assignment until class was over.

My private session with Nikolaus was just theory, he was checking to make sure I was doing alright in my theory classes. He even asked if I had thought about the therapist idea but I side tracked it by asking him something to do with physiology, mainly because I knew it was shut him up about the therapist idea.

When the session was finished I headed towards the library in search of Jeremy, I remember him talking about an assignment he had for one of his classes and that he would be in the library. I found him hiding in the back corner, I don't know why he enjoyed the corner so much. He was secluded from everyone and normally he was more than happy to be surrounded by people, it was a part of being a royal.

When he spotted me he smiled, I went over and took a seat next to him and looked at the book. The assignment was for his magic class, he had specialized in fire while Belle specialized in water. Belle wasn't interested in fighting alongside the dhampirs but Jeremy was. He was in the fire elemental class that focused on offensive magic.

"Did you know there's a new student?"

"No why didn't you tell me during class?"

"Because I didn't know, I was speaking to Belle and Lucas on the way out of class. Lucas had heard from some of the girls that loved to gossip so much that they saw a new student in the admin building"

"Okay, are they a dhampir or a Moroi?"

"He is a Moroi"

"Great just what we need, more asshole Moroi" I smirked at him and he elbowed me.

"For all you know deep down he could be the nicest guy in the world"

"Why do I get the feeling you're talking about yourself?" he shrugged at me. "Jer what was with your comment the other night? Something about Nikolaus trying something and you would take care of him"

"It was nothing, just harmless flirting"

"That wasn't harmless, neither was it when you kissed my cheek" he didn't say anything he stayed silent.

I turned and looked at him and he was looking at me, there something written across his face but I couldn't pick it. His ice blue eyes were watching me as he was trying to figure something out and before I knew it he kissed me. It wasn't an innocent kiss on the cheek like the other night it was a proper kiss on the lips and damn was it amazing but before it went too far he pulled away and looked at me again.

"What was that for?"

"I'm sorry" Jeremy went back to his homework but I grabbed the book from him and placed it beside me away from him.

"Why did you kiss me? We've never kissed, everyone knows that"

"Dri don't make this harder than it already is, I shouldn't have kissed you and I'm sorry"

"What's so hard Jer? Just tell me"

"I have feelings for you Dri, I've been trying to ignore them for weeks now hoping they would go away but they wouldn't. Then the other night when everyone was making jokes about you and Anastas I got jealous, it was why I made that comment and why I kissed you" I stared at him, this was the last thing I expected to come out of his mouth. I was almost expecting our friends to jump out from behind the shelves and say the joke is on me.

"You can't, I'm broken Jer and I can't be fixed. You can't have feelings for me, I've always been told Moroi and dhampirs don't date. You're not just any Moroi Jer, you are a royal Moroi..." he kissed me again and I didn't know if it was to shut me up or not.

"You really need to stop comparing me to other royals, I spend all my time with non royals and novices. I'm not exactly your typical royal Dri. You don't seem broken to me, you seem perfectly fine" I looked at him, Nikolaus said I should trust someone else and I know he suggested a therapist but maybe if I could trust Jeremy it would be a start and he would realise that I was broken and I wouldn't be good for him.

"I was raped and beaten Jer" I tried so hard to keep the tears back but all I could manage was to keep them from falling.

"Wait what?" he was confused and angry, I instantly regretted what I said. I let out a sigh and looked at my hands. "Please explain Dri" I looked up at him and he looked so concerned and I had already said it, I couldn't take it back.

I took a breath and explained everything from the beginning, how Michael would get drunk and beat me as well as rape me every now and then. I told him about Jason and how he taught me self defence, I told him how Jason had messaged me in freshman year and we kept in contact ever since. I told him about everyone's concerns about what would happen with that friendship. I told him about how I cut off contact with him before Christmas and then finally I told him what happened at the shopping centre the other day leaving out everything to do with Nikolaus and our fake relationship.

All he did was put an arm around me and pull me close to him. That was all it took for the tears to start falling.

"Dri, I don't care if you're broken. I like you for who you are now, this helped shape who you are today and I have fallen for the girl you are not the girl you could have been if you didn't have any of that happen"

"Jer I don't even know if I return the feelings"

"I know and I'm sorry for kissing you twice, the first one I couldn't help and the second one I needed to shut you up. Either way I need you to think about it and let me know what you want, I have to go I have a practise group for magic" there was no kiss, no hug, no anything. He just stood up and left me sitting in the library alone.

I was still crying when I got up and left the library. I told him everything and he just leaves me afterwards, I couldn't take it. I didn't know when Emily spotted me but she ended up following me back to my dorm and once we were in she demanded to tell me everything about what happened. I couldn't even stop myself I told her about Michael and what happened with Jason as well as what happened with Jeremy but at least she didn't leave me like he did. Instead she stayed with me and held me as I continued to cry not saying anything until I was ready.

**A/N: jpitt thank you for reviewing again and it wasn't a problem answering your pm. I know I wanted Jason to be the good guy as well but it wouldn't work no matter how hard I tried, I needed these events to happen. No her being special has nothing to do with any ability she has inherited from Adrian. But yes it is what has kept them coming, unfortunately the reveal is still a couple of chapters away so keep guessing. I promise to inform you once you get the right answer or the right area. I can assure you that Dri will catch up on her fighting skills. I'm glad you're enjoying it**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Adrianna POV

I was able to return to my practical classes a few days later and I was glad. I didn't know what had changed I hadn't learnt anything new but I was now winning some fights against my classmates, I was shocking everyone including myself. Emily suggested it was because I had so much on my mind that I was taking my anger out on everyone.

Emily had been amazing after I told her everything, she didn't judge me and didn't say anything about Michael or Jason instead she was more curious about Jeremy, in fact I was curious as well.

I didn't know what to do with Jeremy, I had thought about it. I enjoyed the flirting, it felt right between us and he was one of my closest friends. If I didn't have Emily or Stefan, Jeremy would be at the top of the list and that kiss was amazing I hadn't stopped thinking about it.

Another thing that shocked me was this new student everyone was talking about. I finally met him, he was placed in my math class. Everyone was curious as to why he joined us half way through the school year but he wouldn't let up on it. His name was James and he was Lazar, they were a part of the royal families. I was slowly learning the different traits between the royal families, the Ivashkov's had bright green eyes while the Dragomir's had pale jade green. The Ozera's had ice blue eyes and the Lazar's it seemed had bright blue. James had the bright blue eyes that came with being a Lazar and added with his looks, damn was he hot. No wonder he was all the girls could talk about.

I was currently in a private session with Nikolaus and we were sparring and as he promised weeks ago he wasn't going easy on me all the time and this was one of those times. I groaned as he threw me to the ground, he could fight and really fight. It made me wonder how he would go against Rose and/or Dimitri.

"You're distracted"

"There's a new kid in class, I'm trying to work out why he was here along with everyone else here"

"You need push those distractions aside, they could get you killed"

"Yes well it's not the only thing"

"If you start worrying about Michael and Jason again I'm going to throw you across the room" I had heard this threat a few times now and he hadn't done it yet so I wasn't worried

"No you won't but not exactly. I took what you said about talking to someone else about what happened and it kind of helped"

"You spoke with a therapist?"

"Not exactly, I told Emily and Jeremy. Well I kind of blurted it out to Jeremy but none the less I told him everything"

"Good, now this time don't rely so heavily on your right fist. Focus more on your left" that was all he could say and then forced us to go back to training.

Training was finished and I was sitting on the ground while Nikolaus tested the movements of my shoulder, I had gone down too hard one too many times on my right shoulder and it was now stiff. I just hoped there was no lasting damage, I had already missed a few days I didn't need to miss a few more.

"So why did you decide to tell Emily and Jeremy and not Stefan?" so he was curious but training was more important. He never cared about what he considered boring gossip amongst the students but when it was bothering me he was there to listen if needed. We had become sort of friends and I trusted him.

"I kind of blurted it out with Jeremy, some stuff happened and then I left the library crying and Emily found me. It just kept coming out with Emily"

"Why did you leave the library crying?"

"A combination of me telling Jeremy and some other trivial student life stuff you don't really care about"

"Then I'm not interested but how did they react?" I didn't tell him for a reason, he had to have known by now that I knew what he was and wasn't interested in. Even though gossip ran through the academy incredibly fast, the Guardians always heard what was going on so it was only a matter of time before the secret between me and Jeremy got around.

"Jeremy confused me but it's all wrapped up in with the other stuff. He had to leave for a study group but Emily stayed with me once I told her"

"Are you going to tell Stefan?"

"I'm sick of talking about it but if I don't I know Emily will slip up at one point, the three of us don't have secrets"

"Your shoulder is fine, just a little stiff. Make sure you ice it tonight and tomorrow morning before classes. Our morning session is cancelled, I have to attend the meeting with all the senior novices about field experience"

"Oh yes field experience, I'm going to see if you can beat last year's record for number of visible bruises" I turned around and grinned at him

"I won't be able to beat last year's record and you know it" he was right, last year the guardians made the mistake of starting an attack on three senior novices and then moments later five more exited the library they hadn't expected more to be in the library since it was a Sunday afternoon, it was Nikolaus and Tanner that had to fight off 6 novices while 2 kept an eye on the Moroi. Nikolaus and Tanner did an amazing job to stay alive for as long as they did but they came out of it heavily bruised.

"Just wait till next year, I will get you good"

"Dri you have to make it to field experience first"

"What's that meant to mean?" I caught him off guard, he obviously said something he didn't mean too

"If you aren't caught up by this time next year you aren't participating in field experience"

"But I need field experience to graduate" this was bullshit, I had worked so hard to get up to this level and I was still improving

"Dri you're not understanding, if you aren't up to scratch you won't be graduating with your friends. You will either drop out, not become a guardian or you will repeat senior year"

"This is bullshit" I stood up and left him sitting there in the gym. I wanted to graduate with my friends, I thought even if I could be up to scratch with being an actual guardian I could at least graduate with my friends and find some other work, even if it's office stuff at Court.

When I finally calmed down I headed back to the novice dorm in hopes of finding my friends there, I was lucky that I only found Emily and Stefan sitting there. I walked over and joined them at their table.

"Go shower, you smell Dri"

"You're funny Stefan, where's Carter, Belle and Jeremy?"

"Carter is off with his Physiology study group and I have no idea where Belle and Jeremy are. Those two haven't spent that much time with us lately, have you spoken to Jeremy about what happened the other week?"

"What I don't get is why Carter didn't ask us to be a part of his study group we all take Physiology"

"It's because Lindsay, Toby and Clarke are in the group and we know you don't exactly get along with them all" ahh right, Lindsay was a bitch and Toby and Clarke were pissed I wouldn't give them the light of day.

"Right..."

"Exactly now don't change the subject, Jeremy?" I shared a look with Emily, I hadn't gotten around to telling Stefan about Jeremy having feelings for me, among other things as well.

"I noticed that look and normally I don't say anything because well let's face it, you two are girls and I don't really want to know how your mind works but if it concerns Jeremy and Belle and why they aren't spending much time with us I deserve to know" Stefan did deserve to know, I also wanted to tell him about Michael. Nikolaus was right having other people to talk to would make things easier. Having Emily known made things a little bit easier, I wasn't exactly forth going with giving her the information she wanted to know but I knew she was there for me when I needed her.

"Jeremy has the hots for Dri" I looked over at Emily in shock, I wanted to hit her.

"Bullshit, what else is going on?"

"Emily's right, I confronted Jeremy the other day and he told me. Well after he kissed me anyway"

"Wait you're both serious and he kissed you?" it was rare to get something over Stefan but this was something he never expected.

"We are, he did, twice actually" I looked over and Emily and she was smiling, she was happy we got something over him as well but ever since I told her about his feelings towards me she was hoping we would date, she thinks we would be cute.

"So what you broke his heart and now he's avoiding us? That's just great Dri how could you do to this me?"

"To you?"

"Yeah there is six of us, three girls and three guys. Carter doesn't like to party with us so that just leaves me and Jeremy, if he won't hang with us anymore I'm surrounded by girls"

"You had no problem being surrounded by girls to begin with"

"Good point, so what actually happened? I'm assuming something bad since he isn't with us"

"I told him I didn't know if I feel the same so he's giving me space to think about it"

"And what have you thought about it?"

"No idea..."

"Fair enough" Stefan dropped it after that, he knew this was a conversation left for Emily and he knew I would tell him what I had decided when I did.

Curfew was now fully in place and we were confined to our rooms, I needed to talk to Stefan and tell him about what happened with Michael. I know I should have done it earlier with Emily there for support but there were too many people. I picked up my phone hoping he would still be awake and I sent him a message asking him to sneak down here.

Five minutes later he knocked at my door, when he came in he took a seat at my desk and I paced in my room. He must have figured I wanted to talk to him about something.

"Dri what's going on, you've never asked me to sneak down here. Not like it's not that hard though"

"I need to tell you something, Jeremy and Emily already know and I'm sorry your last but this is hard enough as it is"

"Dri you are my best friend, whatever you need to tell me I will still love you no matter what" I stopped pacing and looked at him. Most of the time he was constantly joking around at everyone else's expense and rarely taking things seriously but when he needed to be serious he could be.

I sat on my bed and explained everything to him and when I stopped talking he was silent for a few moments. I could see he was trying to process everything or think of how to word his next sentence.

"I can't believe this you seem to put together, how have you been hiding this?"

"So you don't believe me?"

"I never said that Dri, you just don't seem like the broken girl I would expect"

"I'm good at hiding how broken I am"

"Obviously, what I don't get is even though you've been raped and abused by a male is how you are so at ease around guys when you're drinking. You'll happily go off to some corner and make out with a guy for who knows how long"

"Because I'm in control, it's when I get pushed past my own control that I freak. Haven't you seen me freak during training?"

"I noticed that, I guess I never thought about it" he shrugged and spun around on the chair, there goes our serious conversation.

"You really don't care do you?"

"Nope and you are safe here. Humans can't find us here, they don't get past the guards at the gates. You shouldn't worry about him finding you. I told you before, you're my best friend "

"I know, it's what I've been told before"

"Then believe it, what are you going to do about Jeremy?" I groaned and laid back on my bed. I still haven't given anymore thought to him with everything that was going on with Michael.

"I've got no idea, I don't want to lose him as a friend but I don't want to say no and then discover that there are feelings for him" Stefan didn't say anything and too be honest I didn't expect him too, I didn't know what he could say that would make this any easier.

I laid there in silence and eventually Stefan came and joined me on my bed, I rolled over and faced him. Sometimes I wish he was better at giving advice about guys but he wouldn't be him if he did.

Stefan did the unthinkable and kissed me, I wanted to know why everyone was kissing me lately. It was getting annoying. It was nothing like the kisses I shared with Jeremy, there was nothing in the kiss and it reminded me of the drunken kisses I shared with guys. He pulled away and I went to him to slap him but he grabbed my wrist.

"What is it with everybody kissing me lately" I frowned at him as he let go off my wrist.

"This isn't going to turn out to be me letting out some hidden feelings about you. How did the compare to the kiss with Jeremy's?"

"Different, completely and utterly different" I preferred Jeremy's kiss to Stefan's so much more.

"Now you just have to decide if it's a good different or bad different. I just thought it might help, now I would assume that this stays between us because I felt nothing and we both know we will get shit if they all find out we kissed"

"Don't worry we will add it to the other incident that Emily doesn't know and thanks for being so understanding" I smiled at him as he got off my bed

"No worries, I'm glad you trusted me with everything" he gave me a small smile as he left my room.

**A/N: jpitt your review about how Jeremy could turn out to be good...well he could be or he couldn't be. You just have to keep reading.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Adrianna POV

It had been two weeks, two weeks since Jeremy kissed me on the cheek and made things weird, two weeks since Nikolaus had to be my pretend boyfriend for a field experience I got to have in the real world also kissing me when not needed, two weeks since Jeremy full on kissed me, twice, and told me he had feelings for me and two weeks since Stefan kissed me to help me work out what I felt for Jeremy. All I needed was for Carter to kiss me as well and I would have thought the world was out to get me.

I was still no closer to working out if I felt anything towards Jeremy but I was grateful he was giving me my space. He had stopped avoiding the rest of us and him and Belle had come back to hanging out with us but he wasn't spending any alone time with me anymore either.

"Dri are you alright?" I noticed the hand waving in my face and noticed Emily trying to get my attention. I had no idea when she turned up, I was sitting in one of the corners of the library trying to avoid everyone.

The senior field experience had started two weeks ago and it was also two weeks ago that Nikolaus told me that I may not get to participate next year or even graduate with my friends if I didn't catch up in time and I was beyond pissed off. I had been avoiding public areas because I didn't want to watch any of the fights.

"Yeah sorry, just thinking"

"What about?" she slid down the wall and sat down next to me

"Boys, why are they so confusing? Maybe I should become a lesbian, it will make things easier"

"Not really, Belle complains about girls just as much as she complains about boys"

"That is true, I have no idea what I'm going to do with Jeremy" I leaned over and rested my head on her shoulder

"Have you spoken to him since?"

"No it's like he's avoiding me. He will spend time with us as a group but not me by myself. Em we used to spend so much time together and I miss it, I miss him"

"What about the kiss?"

"It was amazing, so much better than everyone else I've ever kissed"

"And yet you still don't know if you have feelings for him?"

"No...I've been trying so hard to work it out but I can't get the kiss out of my head or how much I miss spending time with just him"

"Dri I think you've just answered your own question. It sounds like you do have feelings for him, maybe you should go tell him"

"I'm scared, it's been two weeks. What if he changed his mind?"

"You won't know unless you try, come on I will come with you too look for him" Emily stood up and pulled me up with her.

I didn't want to talk to Jeremy right now but Emily wouldn't let me go and even if I tried she would catch me, I really hated being behind my friends in guardian training.

The last place we tried to look for Jeremy was his Moroi dorm, there were two of them and him and Belle were housed in different ones so it was always a gambled as to where he was. When we first entered the lounge I couldn't see him, I was secretly grateful that he wasn't here. But Emily spotted him, she grabbed my arm and pointed to where he was.

He was sitting on one of the couches with Summer Rivers, she was in my year but I didn't have a single class with her, I had environmental studies with her freshman year and math class last year but other than that I didn't have much interaction with her. It was the rumours that floated around school that actually gave me an idea of who she was, the rumours made her seem like she was the biggest slut around and she had slept with a number of the males at St Vladimir's both dhampir and Moroi.

They were laughing about something and I wanted to go and wipe that smile off her face, she was moving closer to him on the couch. I stood there and watched as Summer placed a hand on his leg and leaned over to whisper something in his ear, the smile on his face grew and she kissed him on the cheek incredibly close to his lips and I felt my heart break.

"I'm so sorry Dri, if I had of known I wouldn't have dragged you here" I couldn't look at her, I didn't exactly blame her but she was the reason I realised I did have feelings for him and also the reason as to why I was here witnessing this.

Just as I decided I wanted to turn around and leave Jeremy looked up and noticed I was standing there. The smile instantly fell from his face, he said something to Summer before he stood up and walked over to where I was still standing with Emily.

"Can we talk Dri?"

"I think I've seen enough, come on Em" I turned around and grabbed her arm and started walking out of the lounge.

"Adrianna please stop and talk to me" I stopped and faced him, I couldn't believe I took so long to work things out that he had moved on.

"Dri I will see you later" Emily didn't even give me the chance to reply before she took off and I wanted to follow her.

"Dri..."

"What ? I'm sorry I took so long to get back to you but obviously what I think doesn't mean anything anymore and you've moved on"

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you with Summer"

"Summer? That's nothing, she flirts with everyone. I just needed help with maths"

"She also sleeps with everyone, just like you Jer. I could have helped you with maths"

"So what now you have a problem with the fact that I like having sex?"

"No I've never had a problem with it, I have a problem with you telling me you have feelings for me and then when I finally figure out I feel the same I find you like that with the academy's biggest slut" I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes and I tried so hard to stop them from falling.

"Wait what did you just say?"

"The academy's biggest slut? At least you two will be a perfected pair, there are rumours about you as well"

"No, the part about you feeling the same"

"Yes okay I have feelings for you but it's fine I got the message loud and clear that you don't feel the same anymore" I don't know what I said to make him shake his and smile at me but it was unnerving. "What?"

"You're an idiot Dri, my feelings haven't changed for you. I honestly was just trying to get help with maths, she likes to flirt and I thought if I flirted back I would get what I needed from her"

"Then what were you trying to get from me? You would always flirt with me"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing. I enjoyed flirting with you because it was fun, that was it" I couldn't help but smile at him as he reached over and cupped my face while stepping closer to me.

"Why haven't you kissed me yet?" he laughed at me before leaning down and kissing me. When he pulled away my smile was even bigger.

"Why did you say that?"

"Because last time we talked about feelings you kissed me twice and now this time when I want you to kiss me you wouldn't"

"Because I was trying to get you to trust me, you do trust me don't you?"

"As long as I don't find you flirting with anymore girls then yes"

"Hey I promise I won't flirt back but I can't guarantee they won't flirt with me" I frowned at him. "Don't frown, you look better with a smile on your face. Listen I have to take care of something but I promise I will come find you afterwards?"

"What do you have to do?"

"Ask your dad for permission to date you"

"What. Why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do and he is a teacher here. He would know about us by tomorrow if I didn't ask him"

"And if he says no?"

"Don't care, I'm just doing the right thing" I stood there shocked for a moment not realising what I had just gotten myself into, I didn't even realise he had taken this as an opportunity to take off in search of dad. I had just confessed my feelings to a Moroi and a royal Moroi at that, I had no idea what was going to happen once word got out about us. Hell I didn't even know what we were, there were no confirming boyfriend/girlfriend titles and I was confused.

I decided then and there I had to go and make sure dad didn't kill him, judging by the time of the day dad should be back in his suite by now. I hoped my having more training then Jeremy I would beat him there but when I arrived at dad's suite Jeremy was already there. Turns out he knew a short cut, guess I still had more to learn about the grounds. Jeremy was leaning against the wall beside dad's door, I had a frown on my face as I walked over to him.

"What did I just get through telling you about frowning?"

"Do you really have to do this and how did you get up here?"

"The same as you, I walked up here" I raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned

"Seriously Jer why do you have to talk to dad?" but the door opened before he could say anything, great I really did not what to be present for this conversation. I wanted to prevent it all together.

"I thought I heard voices out here" at the sound of dad's voice Jeremy stood up and faced him.

"Lord Ivashkov I was wondering if we could talk?" Jeremy spoke with such confidence that was different to what he normally had around the academy, I guess this was the royal way he was raised. Dad looked my way and I could tell he was confused.

"I want nothing to do with this, I tried to convince him not too"

"I'm intrigued, come in" dad stepped aside to let us in, I went straight past them and headed for the kitchen. I took a seat on the counter with a bag of chips and waited for dad to come in here.

"Adrianna"

"Yes dad" I smiled at him and I could tell he wasn't happy

"Why is Jeremy asking for permission to date you?"

"Because the idiot thinks it's the right thing to do, you didn't kill him by any chance did you?"

"No I didn't, look Dri are you 100% over your fears of Moroi"

"Yeah why?"

"Are you sure? Because being friends with a Moroi is completely different to dating one"

"Woa hold on there a second, you are not giving me the sex talk. I'm 18 and plus Rose already beat you to it"

"I know, I asked Rose to give it to you" I scrunched my eyebrows at him but he shook his head.

"I figured it would be easier coming from her then me or Ellie. I have no problem with you dating Jeremy, I like the boy and he will treat you right for the time being but please be cautious and make sure you are 100% comfortable around him"

"What do you mean the time being?"

"This isn't me telling you that you're not allowed to marry him if you wish down the track but Dri, Moroi and Dhampirs don't get married or have proper families together and if they do it's rare, normally they are ostracised from everyone else"

"I know, I get it dad and thanks" I gave him a smile as I jumped down off the counter with the chips and entered the lounge room to find Jeremy still sitting on the couch looking extremely nervous.

"What's wrong Jer?"

"I asked your dad and he just left without saying a word"

"Oh, I guess he wanted to talk to me first"

"What about?"

"Do you remember what I was like in freshman year?"

"You were shy, I assumed it was because you didn't know anyone"

"Jer, I was shy because I was scared and nervous around Moroi. I'm fine now but dad wanted to make sure I was completely over my fears apparently dating a Moroi is completely different to being friends with them"

"Well if for any reason you feel scared or nervous please tell me and we can take a step back and work on whatever it is that's bothering you. It is different Dri for many reasons, one of them is the fact that I always have to be careful around you because of my fangs. One mistake and I could draw blood by mistake" I flinched and he noticed it, he put a hand on my cheek and softly run his thumb over it.

"I didn't mean to scare you but you need to know what could happen but I promise I don't want that with you or from you. Just normal boyfriend girlfriend stuff"

"I can deal with the normal boyfriend girlfriend stuff" I smiled at him as I leaned over kissed him.

**A/N: Peggy thanks for reviewing but no Dri is a normal dhampir, there is nothing special about her because she is Adrian's daughter. Well nothing that is relevant to what is happening right now anyway but thanks for guessing and keep them coming everyone.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Adrianna POV

I had been with Jeremy for about four weeks and it had been amazing, I remember shocking our friends about us.

We had just left dads suite and I wanted to head back to the novice dorm in search of Emily and Stefan but Jeremy had other plans.

"I will meet you there Dri, I have to take care of something else"

"If you tell me you're going to ask someone else for permission I will drag you to my dorm"

"Not that it isn't hot to imagine you dragging me back to your room" he smirked at me and I hit him

"That is not what I meant you know it"

"I know, I actually have to go see a feeder. I haven't been yet today"

"Alright, I'll meet you back at my dorm. I'm going to find Emily" I didn't mean it to come out as cold and distant as it did but I turned to leave either way but he grabbed my wrist stopping me

"Dri I didn't mean to freak you out, you know I have to see a feeder and you normally have no problem when Belle and I talk about going. What just happened?"

"I guess you talking about how you have to be careful around me and then you talking about a feeder, I don't know it didn't sit right"

"A feeder is just that Dri, a feeder"

"I know, I'm fine and I don't care. I promise go get some blood and then come find me"

"I plan on it and I also plan on letting you drag me up to your room" he smirked at me again and I hit him. I kissed him before turning around and leaving.

When I made it back to my dorm I headed straight for the lounge in hopes of Emily and Stefan being there and they were, along with Carter and Belle. They had books open in front of them but it was obvious they weren't interested in their books.

"Have you heard?" Belle spoke as I sat down on the arm of the couch since the four of them were hogging the couch

"Don't be silly Belle, of course she would have heard. She has been at the Moroi dorm all this time" Emily spoke and thank god she didn't make any reference to me being with Jeremy but I had no idea what they were talking about

"I have no idea what you are all going on and I went to see dad after I left the Moroi dorm"

"Oh well maybe your dad told you"

"Seriously someone tell me but I get annoyed and walk off"

"Alright fine, something finally got out about the new kid"

"What was it?"

"Well he was expelled from his old school like we thought but the reason he came here was because of your dad"

"He's a spirit user?" they nodded at me. Dad was only at the academy in case a spirit user showed. If he didn't have any students to teach he would switch between here and Court so he could spend more time with Ellie. I know she would fly down here whenever she had the time but I knew it was hard on them both.

"So that means you can get more information about him from your dad. You know as well as we do how intimate those classes can be"

"That's only because spirit users are rare and it's rare for dad to have more than one or two in each year"

My friends didn't care about the intimate lessons anymore they were busy making guesses about what power they thought he would have. They kept trying to get out of me what I knew about spirit users and to be honest I did know a bit more than them only because of dad but I didn't know how any of it worked. As far as I knew dad didn't use his powers on me except for healing me when I ended up in the hospital unconscious. I had only experienced the spirit dreams once but I never heard about him reading my aura or anything else he could do. I know he had meetings with Lissa about spirit but that was as far as it went.

"Sorry I took so long babe, there was a line" I heard Jeremy's voice before I felt him wrap an arm around my waist and kiss my cheek. I looked over at my friends, Emily was grinning obviously knowing what it meant Belle and Carter were confused, the two of them hadn't been told anything and Stefan didn't really care, almost like he expected it and was happy but not as happy as Emily.

"Wait are you two together or just messing with us?" Belle spoke with a frown on her face, she hated when we did stuff like this but this time we weren't messing with her.

"I promise you Belle we aren't messing with you" I turned and face Jeremy with a smile on my face. "Are we?" he shook his head before leaning down and kissing me, I noticed that the reason he took longer was because he must have gone back to his dorm and brushed his teeth or just used mouth wash. When he pulled away I scrunched my eyebrows at him, he knew why I was questioning him but he didn't say anything. I turned back to our friends and tried to listen to their conversation.

"I thought it might make you more comfortable knowing I brushed my teeth after feeding" he whispered in my ear and I leaned back into him.

My friends had taken the relationship well, there were times when they would make fun of us or press us for details about our sex life but we hadn't done anything as of yet. I didn't know if he was being cautious because of what I told him or he wanted to wait a bit longer, which I thought was weird considering he had no problem having sex with other girls. I wanted to ask him about it but never had the time.

Most of the students had no problem either, the only gossip that surrounded us was the fact that Jeremy had a girlfriend not who it was. Even though Moroi and dhampir pairings weren't common, in the academy's it happened more then you thought but most of the time it was just a bit fun for both of them before they spilt and went their separate ways. The only person who seemed to have a problem with my new relationship was Nikolaus.

A few days after we had told our friends Jeremy had walked me to my private session after class and when we entered the gym Nikolaus was nowhere in sight.

"This is weird" I placed my bag on the floor looking around

"How so"

"Normally he's already in here waiting for me. There has only been one session where I was here before him"

"Well while we have some time to ourselves" he smiled at me before placing his hands on my waist and pulling me closer to him and he leaned down and kissed me. I leaned up and into the kissed and wrapped my arms around his neck. Were standing there kissing for a few moments and I was too distracted I didn't even hear the door open.

"Sorry I'm late..." Nikolaus obviously wasn't paying attention when he walked in and I could tell he trailed off at the point he must have noticed us. We pulled away and noticed he had a book in his hands, which was weird he never brought books with him and when we did work on theory they were my books.

"Come find me later" Jeremy gave me a soft kiss before slipping out of the gym.

"What's with the book?"

"Oh nothing" he threw the book to the side before heading to the practise mat. So it looks like we're sparring again, the last few sessions had been about combat and I was worried about why we had been skipping conditioning training but I wasn't one to question his teaching methods, they had been working so far.

The session was brutal he was kicking my ass, almost literally at some points. Normally I would complain about him taking it easy on me but even then I still ate mat but this, this was different. He was annoyed and he was taking his anger out on me and our spar. I knew I was going to hurt tomorrow and I wouldn't be surprised if this repeated in the morning.

Training was finished and I was lying on the mat breathing heavily in a heap of pain, I had taken multiple hits to my shoulder and ribs and at one point trying to dodge I had rolled my ankle. I just hoped this time all I would need is a bit of ice and some rest.

"What the hell was the about? You literally beat the shit out of me, I'm lucky to be conscious. In fact the only reason I am conscious is because you didn't hit me in the face, you even pulled my hair when I turned my back" I spoke when I finally stood up

"You always complain I take it too easy on you"

"No I used to complain, what we have been doing lately is fine but today was out of my league"

"Then it shows just how behind you are"

"Are you fucking kidding me? You are five years older than me you have an extra five years training on me. I'm not that far behind my friends anymore and you know it. You said just the other week that it was possible to catch up, I just needed to focus"

"Exactly focus, focus on training and studies and keep your mind off boys"

"That's what this is about, me having a boyfriend?"

"No it's not, for weeks you have been distracted about Michael, Jason, the new kid. They're all boys Adrianna"

"This is bullshit you can't come in here and beat me up just so you can take your anger out on something; it's not right or fair"

"What isn't right or fair is the fact that I'm wasting my time training you so you can catch up with your friends but you still haven't got there"

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME! Just the other week you said I was doing remarkably well, what the fuck is fucking wrong with you?" Nikolaus didn't say anything he just turned on his heel and left the gym.

I noticed the book he had when he arrived was still sitting on the floor tucked in the corner, curious I walked over and picked it up. It was a physiology textbook and not just the one we used in class but a more advanced one, I flipped through the pages and stopped on one that was talking about the heart. The notes made me think that what we just did wasn't what he had planned for today.

I threw the book in my bag and left the gym, I headed towards my dorm wanting nothing other than to have a hot shower and help loosen my muscles. I really wanted to know why he changed his mind all of a sudden and what his original plan was.

When I entered the dorm I went through the lounge to see if my friends were in there and I decided if they weren't I would head straight for my room and then the showers. But I found them sitting off to the side. There goes my chance of a shower, I let out a breathe before heading over towards.

I sat down next to Jeremy and rest my head on shoulder but he readjusted himself so he could wrap an arm around me, but of course his hand found the most tender spot of my ribs. I winced in pain and pulled away from him causing him to look at me with worry and the rest of our friends to look my way as well.

"What's wrong Dri?"

"I'm in pain, I took a beating. Nikolaus literally beat the shit out of me, if he didn't stick to that cardinal rule we had about no punches above the neck I would most likely be in the hospital unconscious" I leaned back against Jeremy but this time he didn't adjust himself, he just let me lean against him how I was comfortable.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Adrianna POV

It was the last week of the senior novice field experience where they spend six weeks protecting the Moroi the get paired with, with only having Sunday's free. Normally I enjoyed watching the fights that broke out between the novices and the guardians, it gave me an idea of what everyone was like and where I should be up to at that point next year but ever since I had been told by Nikolaus that I may not even get to participate next year I had been avoiding public areas.

After the session where Nikolaus literally beat the shit out of me I had been dreading going to my sessions, I had skipped the ones that were the next day due to the amount of pain I was in. I had half expected him to come and find me and drag me to our sessions but he didn't, in fact I didn't see him for a few days. I finally gave in and decided to turn up for my sessions with the only incentive was that I wanted to graduate with my friends next year.

When I entered the gym I found Nikolaus laying on the floor staring at the ceiling, I walked over and stood in front of him raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't know the ceiling was that interesting" it was then I noticed the cut on his eyebrow, he must have gotten into a fight with a senior earlier.

"Just trying to clear my head, listen about the other day"

"Which day? Oh you mean the one where you beat the living shit out of me" I took a seat beside him and he sat up and looked at me.

"Yes that day, I'm really sorry for doing that. I don't know what came over me" I frowned at him

"Seriously that's the reason I get for why I got beat up by you? Guardians rarely turn on each other, we are taught to protect each other as well as the Moroi. I get that I'm behind and obviously now I know you have been lying to me about how far behind I am"

"Dri I'm really sorry, I truly am" we were sitting there on the floor facing each other, one of his arms moved and it almost seemed like he was going to reach out and stroke my cheek but at the last minute he caught himself and stretched his arms out. "I honestly don't know what happened but I'm truly sorry for what happened. You may be behind the level I'm at but as you said I have five years on you and your friends, you aren't that far behind your friends. Enough that it will be tough to catch up but I believe you can do it" I didn't say anything, I just stood up and started warming up for training.

It was because of this field experience that it was a regular occurrence when I walked into the gym and found someone other than Nikolaus in there to train me for my private session, what did surprise me today was seeing Dimitri waiting for me.

Rose had told me that when she arrived at the gym for her sessions with Dimitri he would also be on the floor reading one of the western novels he loved so much and that were what he was doing but the gym was set up differently. More training mats had been placed on the ground to give a larger area for sparring.

"This is a surprise" I spoke as I walked over to him, he looked up from his book.

"Anastas is doing one of his Strigoi rounds"

"I know, I have regularly been coming in here to find someone other than him to train me. Seeing you in here is the surprise"

"Christian had something to take care of and I had to come with him but since I don't need to be watching him all the time I offered to take your session when I heard Anastas and Alberta talking about it"

"Fair enough, so what are you doing with me?"

"I'm putting you completely on the defensive, I will attack you and you have to block them. No offensive attacks what so ever"

"That's cruel and unusual punishment" I frowned at him, Nikolaus had never done this sort of stuff with me well except for when he beat me up but it's different, we didn't talk about it and neither did my friends. Jeremy was worried it would happen again but I assured him otherwise.

"It can be useful, if you're guarding in a pair or group and you are the one with the Moroi between you and a wall defending is the only thing you can do until the other guardians can help you"

"I know it makes sense in theory, it just doesn't make sense for training"

"I don't care if you think it makes sense, it's what we're doing"

"Fine" I frowned at him as I placed my bag and began my warm up stretches. When I was finished I went and stood on the mats waiting for him to join me.

When the session was almost finished my body was sore, I had taken several hits from Dimitri but I powered through mainly because I knew if I focused I could dodge and block the attacks. I was faster and smaller than him giving me a slight advantage but his experience was what got the better of me. He would send to punch one after another only giving me enough time to dodge or block the first one and miss the second one.

I heard the doors open but I didn't take my focus away from Dimitri, I just assumed it would be Nikolaus coming to see how the session was going but then I heard the conversation.

"This is one of the novice's training gyms. This is primarily used for conditioning training while the other one is combat training"

"Then how come those two are doing combat training in here?" the voice sounded familiar but I couldn't place it, I knew the first one belonged to one of the administration ladies.

"The novice has private training sessions with a guardian to try and catch up to the same level of her classmates, she is a special case. Is there anything else you would like see?"

"No thank you, I think I've seen everything I've needed too"

"Excellent would you like me to show you back to the guest housing?"

"No it's fine I'm sure I can find my way back and if not I can always ask someone" I had still yet to turn around and see who was watching my session with Dimitri he wasn't moving around so I couldn't either

"Very well" I heard footsteps walk away before hearing the door opening and closing again

I had no idea if both people left or not but I was finally able to move my position and see the door and I was shocked at who I found standing there watching us, I was so shocked I didn't even attempt to try and block Dimitri's punch that it connected with my shoulder making me lose my balance and stagger backwards.

"Adrianna how nice it is to see you again after all this time" it was Michael that was standing there watching us, I couldn't believe he found me. Here of all places but was even more of a shock was that he was a Moroi. I didn't know what to say, I knew what I wanted to say but Dimitri would have something to say about that. I also knew I wanted to jump him and beat him up for everything he did to me but Dimitri would stop me before I was satisfied.

"I'm Guardian Belikov, how do you know Adrianna?"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Michael Voda. Adrianna and I go way back" Oh great the asshole was a fucking royal.

"You could say that, is our session finished? I should get my shoulder looked at" I looked at Dimitri and he looked at me with the concern he always had for me these days. Him and Rose couldn't physically have children together but neither had the heart to have a child with a Moroi so they had sort of adopted me and helped me when I had questions about guardian training.

"I expected you to block the punch, I didn't mean to hit you that hard"

"It's fine, if it's that bad I'm sure dad will fix it"

"I must say Adrianna, when I was told you had a boyfriend I didn't expect him to be this old" I snapped my head around and stared at him, I didn't even get to see Dimitri's reaction to the comment. Where did he hear I had a boyfriend?

"He isn't my boyfriend and where the hell did you hear that?"

"Adrianna don't speak to him like that" I ignored Dimitri's comment and continued to stare at Michael, I knew a glare would cause more yelling from Dimitri. There was a way you had to act around royals and I was on the verge of getting in trouble for the wrong behaviour

"I heard it from Jason" that threw my anger over the edge, why would Jason tell him that sort of information. I didn't say anything I just grabbed my bag and stormed out of the gym, I didn't even head for the hospital I head straight to the novice dorms in hopes that Nikolaus had returned.

When I got to the novice dorm I head straight for the reception desk and demanded they ring Nikolaus get him to come down here. The guardians had their own floor and the novices didn't have access to their floor but the reception was able to ring them when there was an emergency.

I was pacing in the entrance when Nikolaus finally came down stairs, he walked over to me and stood there hoping I would speak first but I couldn't, I was too angry.

"What's going on?" him finally speaking made me stop pacing, I turned and faced him.

"I trusted you! You told me he couldn't find me here but guess what he fucking did and you know what makes it worse he's a fucking Voda!" I spoke as loud as I could without getting attention from the few people in here

"Who are you talking about?"

"Michael, he's fucking here. He's a fucking Moroi and not just a nobody Moroi either he's a fucking Voda. He made some crack about Dimitri being my boyfriend but he assumed he would be younger or some shit because Jason told him I had a fucking boyfriend, which if you remember Jason assumes is you"

"Come on" Nikolaus grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the back staircase that wasn't used anymore. "Sit down" I sat on the step and he took a seat next to me.

"You told me he couldn't find me here" I wasn't yelling anymore, I wasn't angry anymore, I was just scared. I was scared for what would happen now that he had found me.

"When I assumed he was human, it could explain why Jason was so bent on finding out where you were. Michael could have compelled him to find out using any means necessary. Since Michael is a Moroi he would had have known you were a dhampir, if Jason told him he saw you near Montana he would have realised that meant here Dri"

"But what does he want with me, surely he would have realised I could defend myself better now. He kicked me out when I started to defend myself"

"I honestly don't know Dri but I promise I won't let him hurt you again, I'm not the only one. I'm sure Emily, Stefan and Jeremy will all protect you" Nikolaus put an arm around me and I leaned into him. Just like after the attack with Jason a few weeks ago, I felt safer in Nikolaus' arms and all of a sudden the tears started falling. I didn't want to seem weak in front of him but I couldn't stop them. I didn't even pull away when the doors opened but I'm glad it was only Dimitri and not another teacher.

"All this time you have both keep trying to convince Adrian nothing is going on and I witness this?" Dimitri shook his head at us without even taking a good look at me, so much for being a great guardian

"Dimitri..." I spoke softly and looked over at him causing him to look my way and he finally realised I had been crying

"What's wrong?" having Michael here made me wonder how many times I was going to have to tell the story.

"If I tell him I'm going to have to tell dad, he won't keep this secret, especially from Rose" I turned and looked at Nikolaus, hoping he could tell me otherwise but I knew I would eventually have to tell dad.

"You know you would have had to tell your dad eventually, you were able to tell your friends" I pulled away from him, rested my elbows on my knees and then pressed my face into my hands to try and stop the tears that were still fighting their way out.

"Seriously someone tell me what is going on before I get Adrian"

"Dri maybe we should go find Adrian and tell him now before something happens" I looked up at Nikolaus, the tears had finally stopped and I was angry again.

"Like what him finding me in the gym and accusing me of dating him, come on he's old" I swang my hand in Dimitri's direction not even caring if he was offended by my comment

"That's not what I meant and you know it, what if he finds Adrian first?" he had a point, I didn't have any idea what he would tell dad.

I didn't say anything to either of them I just stood up and left the stairwell and headed outside. I could hear the two of walking behind me, I just continued making my way towards where dad's suite was. I had the tiniest bit of courage to do this now and I had to before it went away. I didn't know when or if I would have it again and I hoped this would be the last time I would have to tell the story, I hoped dad would tell Ellie and Dimitri would tell Rose.

Normally students weren't allowed to be in the Adult Moroi housing but since dad was living in here I got a pass but I wasn't allowed to abuse it. I didn't even knock on dads door when I made it to his suite, I just opened it and walked in and I was shocked, I sure as hell didn't expect Michael to already be in here. I still had the urge to punch him in the face but I knew having both Nikolaus and Dimitri here they would stop me, once Nikolaus knew who he was I don't know if he would still hold me back. Who knew maybe they would have to dad back as well.

I stopped not far after entering dads room and the sound of the closing door attracted their attention. Dad looked confused as to why I was here and I couldn't even look at Michael, the urge wouldn't go away no matter how hard I tried so I had to try even harder to not move from my spot and punch him.

"Adrianna how nice it is to see you twice in one day, how's the shoulder?" Michael spoke with a shitty fake smile on his face. I could see a hint of his fangs, I tried to think back on any of the signs from when I was living with him but I couldn't think of anything

"Oh you have already met Adrianna, she's the daughter I was telling you about"

"I have Adrian, when I was getting the tour she was in the gym training with Belikov" I looked over at Nikolaus and hoped he would connect the dots and not make me tell him that that was Michael. He must have connected the dots because at some point he stepped in front of me, like he was protecting me.

"Oh this must be the boyfriend I confused Belikov with, I'm sorry Adrianna. This one seems more like your taste"

"Boyfriend? I thought you were dating Jeremy?" great, just great. I knew dad would be annoyed at this I just hoped he would believe me over some royal that he most likely related too...which meant I was also related too. Today was just getting worse and worse.

"I am dad, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Dad I need to talk to you about something, can you kick him out please" I looked around Nikolaus at dad with pleading eyes, as much as I hated being weak I hoped it looked like I had been crying so dad would get the hint.

"Yes of course, Michael we can continue our conversation another time. It was nice meeting you" thank god dad got the hint. Michael said goodbye to us and as he made his way to the door Nikolaus moved us both around so Michael couldn't get anywhere near me. When he was out the door dad turned on us and really took in how Nikolaus and I were standing.

"If you're dating Jeremy explain this" I stepped out from behind Nikolaus, I didn't know if I had the courage to do this anymore but I had too. I needed dad to be on my side, I needed him to believe me and I needed him to keep Michael away from me.

"Can I tell you what I want to tell you and then if you still don't understand then I will explain?"

"You will explain why Anastas was standing like that and why I had to kick Michael Voda out of my suite?"

"I will, Dimitri you need to hear this as well" we all went and sat on the couch.

**A/N: So there it is, another bit of information about Michael and for those of you who questioned, why Jason tried so hard to find out where Dri was living. Michael is a Moroi, it may explain why Jason said Dri was special but as long as you can think why Dri would be special to Michael.**

**Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing and setting alerts!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Adrianna POV

I had just finished telling them both about Michael, I expected dad to storm out of his room in a blind rage and Dimitri to sit their calm and wait for me to explain anything else but instead dad sat their calm and Dimitri was furious but he hadn't stormed out yet, that was a good show of his self control.

"I don't believe it" they were not the words I wanted to hear out of my dad's mouth

"Are you kidding me why not?"

"Where's the proof?"

"You want the proof. Ask Dimitri, when Michael found us in the gym he made references to already knowing me, he assumed Dimitri was my boyfriend because Jason told him I had one. He then assumed Nikolaus was my boyfriend, why do you think he made the comment about Nikolaus being more my type? Jason was the friend I made when I was living with Michael. Everyone was so bent on finding out why I learnt basic self defence at one of my foster homes without taking professional classes. That is why, Jason made me tell him what was going on after he found me bruised and battered one night. Why do you think it was so hard for me to let go of Jason, I was grateful for him protecting me like he did!"

"Dri, I have no problem believing everything about you being raped and beaten from one of your foster parents and Jason coming to your rescue but why should I believe it was Michael? Don't you think that if a royal Moroi had adopted a dhampir child in Australia he would have sent a message back to Court about it?"

"Adrian, Michael did say something that made me assume they knew each other"

"Dad ask him if he knew me, he even made a comment about Jason. How can this not make sense, I need you to believe me" Dimitri didn't need to hear anymore, he stood up and left the room in a hurry, I'm kind of disappointed dad didn't leave like this. I would give anything for a different reaction from dad, whether I had to calm him down or convince to not kill anyone.

"Anastas you believe everything she's saying?"

"I do, when she first told me I could tell how much it affected her. Even during training it still does, there are points if I pin her down longer then she can hander she freaks out. Surely you've seen moments where she gets lost in something and seems to vague out of what is going on in the world around her"

"I have actually but why Michael, why would I believe it's him of all people"

"He found them in the gym and she came straight to me, I was the first person that knew. She was terrified, at first she was furious because she trusted me. I told her that he couldn't find her here but I didn't expect him to be a Moroi. Even coming in here, she was terrified. How could you not see that?"

"I assumed she was in trouble again coming in here with both you and Dimitri" dad ran a head threw his hair before standing up and walking over to the make shift bar he had in his room. "Crap..." I took this as a sign of him believing me.

"Dad tell me you believe me, I need you to believe me"

"I do Dri, I just don't want too. It explains Nikolaus protecting you like that, I'm sorry for assuming there was something going on but why did Michael know about you having a boyfriend though?"

"He said Jason told him. Do you remember that shopping trip a few weeks back?"

"That was the one where you came back beaten up?"

"Yeah that one, well I ran into Jason there. He said he was here skiing with some friends, part of guardian cover thing was the two of us pretending to be dating and we played it off in front of him because he was harassing me. Dad Jason was the one that attacked me"

"Are you fucking kidding me Dri? Why wouldn't you tell me this, why the hell didn't you tell me about Michael to begin with. It would have made everything so much easier!" dad was angry now and this was the reaction I was expecting all along.

"Because I was scared dad, I was scared of how you were going to react!"

"Then how come you could tell Nikolaus?"

"I didn't exactly, he made me tell him after I promised him to not tell you"

"How long as he known and who else knows?"

"Since freshman year and Emily, Stefan and Jeremy all know" dad didn't say anything else he just stood up and stormed out of his room as well. I felt a little bit better know I was now finally getting the reaction I expected.

"Come on Dri, I'll take you back to your dorm. You should find your friends" Nikolaus stood up and waited for me to join him. Except I stood up and headed towards the bar, grabbed the drink dad left sitting there and skulled it. I turned and faced Nikolaus and I could tell he wasn't happy.

"Don't start, I've had a shitty day" I then left the dads suite and headed back to my dorm.

When we made it to the novice dorm I went towards the lounge and Nikolaus headed upstairs for his own room. To be honest the only friend I wanted to see was Jeremy I just hoped he was here but when I entered the lounge I couldn't see him, I couldn't see any of my friends. I pulled out my phone and sent him a message asking where he was. While I was waiting I headed up to my room to drop my bag off and shower and change. When I returned from the showers I had message from Jeremy saying that he was in his room and that I was more than welcome to sneak over. I smiled at the thought of spending the time alone with Jeremy in his dorm forgetting about my problems, so I did. I left the novice dorm and headed to his Moroi dorm.

When I finally made it up to Jeremy's room he sprawled out on his bed with his math books, he was lucky enough to have his own room since there were an odd number of males. I went over and sat down next him.

"Need a hand?" he looked up at me and smiled

"Nope I have other plans" he sat and leaned over to kiss me, after everything that happened today and learning that Michael was a Moroi I thought I would freak out being like this with Jeremy but I was doing alright up until he climbed on top of me.

I pulled away, placed my hands on his chest and gave him a slight push. He took the hint and rolled over so he was beside me, he looked at me like he was trying to work out what was bothering me but ever since leaving dads suite I've been able to keep my mask up hiding how scared I was about Michael being here.

"Dri what's wrong and don't say nothing, I can tell something is bothering you" when the hell did he learn to tell when something is bothering me?

"Michael's here"

"How?"

"Turns out his a Moroi, Jason told him he saw me a few weeks ago. He made the connection and came here. He's actually here at the academy and what makes it worse is that he is a Voda"

"What happened?"

"He found me in the gym with Dimitri and assumed that he was my boyfriend but he was shocked that he was older, then when Nikolaus convinced me to tell dad everything. We found Michael already in dad's suite and then made a comment about how Nikolaus was more my type. At some point both dad and Dimitri stormed out after hearing the truth about everything"

"So then you came here?"

"I didn't know where else to go" Jeremy didn't say anything, he just moved closer to me on the bed and wrapped his arms around me. I know I shouldn't think this but I felt safer in Nikolaus' arms earlier then what I do now in Jeremy's, maybe it was because I knew Nikolaus would be able to defend me where as I hadn't seen Jeremy fight or use his magic.

It wasn't until lunch a few days later when I finally saw Michael again, I was sitting there my friends and Lucas had decided to join us today. They were all talking about something when I spotted him across the room and I instantly moved closer to Jeremy, he didn't turn to look at me but he tightened the grip of his arm around my waist.

I watched as Michael walked around the cafeteria and when he started coming this way I freaked, I gripped Jeremy's leg to get his attention.

"Babe stop, it's starting to hurt" I let go and looked at up him before looking back to where Michael was.

"I'm sorry Jer" I continued to watch Michael and when he stopped at my table I tried to keep all emotion off my face.

"It's lovely to see you again Adrianna, I gather these must be your friends"

"What do you want Michael?" Jeremy tightened his grip around and I shot a look to Emily and Stefan and I could tell they were working things out in their head, I hadn't even told them Michael was here yet.

"I just wanted to talk and catch up, but I must say I'm confused. I've seen you with three guys now, which one is actually the boyfriend Jason said you had"

"Jason doesn't know shit that was a cover for guardian set ups. You should leave before I make a scene. There are more than enough people in here that know what you did"

"Who do you think they will believe? The dhampir girl who gets into trouble at school or the Royal Moroi?"

"I think they will believe the girl who has three well respected dhampirs on her side as well as five royals, one of which is the queen compared to the guy who has already made the mistake of mentioning that he knows me. Since I spend all my time either here or at Court it's hard to make up a lie" He was stuck, he didn't know I had told many people. I didn't even know if the story had made it back to my family at Court but I just hoped it did soon before he found out Lissa didn't know.

"We'll see about that but remember, dhampirs stick together and so do Moroi" he turned on his heel and left, I watched him leave the cafeteria and I caught Nikolaus' eye and I shook my head at him and he went back to what he was doing.

"Dri is that who I think it is?"

"It is Emily"

"When did he get here?"

"A few days ago, I have no idea what he is doing here"

"What is going on? And what did you mean by what he did and do you even know him?" I looked over at Belle, she was sitting in between Carter and Lucas and I could tell they were all equally confused.

"Belle it's nothing, just the past coming back to haunt me but everything is fine but if you could find out what he is doing here that would be great" I smiled at her and she grinned. Belle, Carter and Lucas all knew that there were times that secrets were kept from them and they got it, I was incredibly close to Emily and Stefan and now Jeremy was my boyfriend but they were still there for me when needed.

Even though Belle wasn't a royal she did have friends that were royals and they loved to gossip, all Belle had to do was mention Michael and if they knew anything it would easily come out.

**A/N: Thank you everyone for reviewing and setting alerts for my story, it means a lot!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Adrianna POV

It had been a while since Michael arrived at St Vladimir's, I had started spending more time in my dorm surrounded by my friends. Belle had received word that Michael was going to be the new Earth elemental teacher, it was just what I needed. Knowing that Michael was going to be staying just threw me over the edge, I was constantly angry and taking it out during training.

I was currently at one of my personal sessions with Nikolaus and he must have gotten sick of being my punching bag so he set me on one of the actual punching bags.

"Fix your posture, you'll either end up hurting yourself or doing no damage at all" I didn't say anything but did as he suggested.

I kept going on the punching bag, kicking and punching it making it swing like crazy. I didn't know how long I had been going but eventually Nikolaus grabbed the bag.

"Stop Dri" I stopped and looked at him. "Our session finished a while ago but you kept going"

"Sorry I didn't mean to waste your time"

"You're not, how are you doing with everything?"

"Terrified, I don't know what he wants from me but him being here as a teacher makes it worse. I wish Dimitri was back here, I felt safer knowing I had both of you watching from the shadows"

"You know why he had to return, you know I won't let anything happen to you and you have both Stefan and Emily watching out for you" I was curious as to why he didn't mention Jeremy, we both knew that Jeremy was taking some defence classes as well as offensive magic classes

"I know, I just want him to leave and not come back"

"I know Dri, I want him to be gone as well. I hate knowing you feel like this and there is nothing I can do but watch from a distance to protect you" I don't know what happened here or why it was happening but the next thing I knew was that he had his arms around me and I was leaning against him.

It was like when Michael first arrived all over again, I felt safer in Nikolaus' arms then Jeremy's and I hated myself for it. Jeremy's my boyfriend and I should feel safer in his arms, not a teacher, not my mentor's and definitely not someone I could never have a relationship with. I pulled away from him and looked at him.

"What?"

"Why do you keep doing this? Doing things that confuse the hell out me, first the shopping trip with us pretending to date, you kissing me when it wasn't needed, starting to call me Dri, beating the shit out of me when you catch me kissing Jeremy and now this hugging me like that and wanting to protect me. Why do you keep confusing me? Why do I feel safer in your arms compared to my own boyfriends!"

"I want to protect you because I care about you Dri, just like your friends care about you. As for why you feel safer in my arms, we both know the answer to that. We both know that when it came down to a fight with a Strigoi I will be able to protect you better, it's nothing against Jeremy I know he is learning to fight but it's other things. I'm born and then trained to fight against them while he chooses to learn Dri. I'll see you in the morning" he turned to leave not answering half of my questions. I run after him and made a jump for him but he must have heard me, he spun around and grabbed me before pinning me to the floor.

"You ignored half of my questions, you can't just leave like that"

"Why do you care Dri? You have Jeremy, I told you I got caught up with the fake relationship and if you don't like me calling you Dri then tell me and I will stop" he still had me pinned to the ground and the longer we were in this position the more panicked I was feeling, he must have noticed this and he stood up.

"Why does it seem like you are hiding something from me?"

"I'm not Dri, you're seeing things that aren't actually there. Go have fun with your friends tonight, tomorrow is Saturday and our session doesn't start until 11 since I have guard duty in the morning"

Nikolaus POV

I didn't let Dri say anything else, I turned around left the gym. How did she realise I was hiding something from her? Truth be told I was hiding something from her and it wasn't something I couldn't admit for a number of reasons. I had fallen for her and there was nothing I could do, she was a student and my student at that and she also had a boyfriend who I could tell she was happy with, I wasn't going to ruin that happiness for her.

I did want to protect her but only because I hated seeing her terrified with having Michael here at the academy, I hated knowing there was nothing I could do since he was a Moroi and a royal Moroi at that. All I could do was watch from the shadows and make sure he didn't do anything to her. I was glad the subject he was teaching was a Moroi only class and she was safe that way.

Before Belikov left the academy to return to Court he made mention about doing something about this situation and I hoped he came through soon. I didn't know how much pain Dri could handle before she snapped or broke down completely, I didn't know how much longer I can sit back and watch her being in that amount of pain and not be able to do anything.

It had been a few days since the confrontation with Dri in the gym, she hadn't said anything about it even though I could tell she wanted to question it all again. I was careful I didn't make any more slip ups to make her think otherwise. It was lunch and as usual I was standing in the back of the cafeteria keeping an eye on Dri, Michael hadn't entered yet so she seemed happy enough. The only upside to this whole Michael thing was that she was now focusing on the environment around her, she knew I was keeping an eye on her but she didn't tell me to stop either way.

The bell rang and everyone started to file out, I stayed behind and waited until Dri left with her friends. I couldn't follow her into her classes unless I was scheduled too, so I just hoped nothing bad would happen. Once the cafeteria cleared out I left as well heading to the dorm to grab some lunch and head up to the lounge that the guardians had of their own.

"How's Adrianna doing?" I looked up from my book and found Belikov taking a seat in front of me

"She says she is coping but I can tell she is lying, what are you doing here?"

"Lissa found out what happened and sent Rose to keep an eye on Adrianna and Michael while she figures out what to do. Christian gave me a few days off so I came with her, but Adrianna isn't to know that we're here" Belikov was the only person that was close to Dri that didn't call her Dri, I had no idea why either but it wasn't like she enforced the nickname.

"Dri will notice if Hathaway is following her"

"That is why she will be following Michael, when did you start calling her Dri?" I shrugged hoping he would drop it. I knew why I started calling her Dri, by calling her Dri I hoped I could bring her closer to me and I knew I shouldn't but I wasn't stopping.

"What will happen if Dri notices Hathaway?"

"Hopefully that doesn't happen. I saw you in the cafeteria though"

"What are you talking about?"

"You watch her, only her and we're meant to watch everyone. Preferably the Moroi over dhampirs"

"She's my student and I care about her, I know she is freaked about this whole Michael thing. You cared about Hathway, it's no different to that" I noticed him smirk, this was what I found so weird about Belikov, when he was working he was the perfect guardian but when he wasn't he was a little bit more carefree. The older guardians say it's because of Hathaway but there's no way me to know for sure.

"What has Adrianna told you about Rose and I?"

"That you were Hathaway's mentor, a similar situation to what Dri and I have, and then you fell in love and started dating. You even decided to not be Queen Vasilisa's guardian so you and Rose could work out a relationship of some sort. Oh there is also the parts where you became a Strigoi got turned back and then the two of you took off on the run when everyone believed Rose killed the previous queen"

"There's one small detail that is missing with that story Anastas"

"What's that?"

"I fell in love with Rose when she was my student, so unless you're going to say you are in love with Adrianna you don't care about her the same way I did with Rose" it makes sense as to why Adrian freaked out back in her freshman year about me being her mentor.

"How did you cope knowing you were in love with a student? How did you stay in control, certainly there were times you just wanted to kiss her" I knew I shouldn't be doing this, pretty much giving him the answer but if he was in the same situation maybe he could give me advice.

"Maybe this is a conversation for somewhere more private" I nodded and led him up to my room.

"So you're in love with her" that was the first thing out of Belikov's mouth when we were in the safety of my room but now I was thinking not so much. He might not have been Dri's father but he cared about her just as much as Adrian does.

"Depends are you going to hit me?"

"Nope, at this point in time I don't have any reason not to. I know she has a boyfriend"

"She does but again how did you cope with everything?"

"It was hard but to begin it was easier believing she didn't feel the same. I made sure I didn't put us in any comprising positions and there were definitely times I wanted to kiss Rose but I held back. It was harder once I knew she felt the same"

"Easier said than done I guess"

"It is, you just have to be careful and watch yourself. The one problem I had was being jealous"

"Oh I've got that one down" I rolled my eyes and the look on his face made me realise that he knew I did something. Too be honest I was surprised that Dri hadn't told Hathaway, maybe she had and Hathaway kept it from Belikov. It was doubtful but I hoped either way

"What did you do?"

"I may have caught her and Jeremy kissing and I lost control, she likes to use the words 'I literally beat the shit out of her'"

"Okay now I have a reason to hit you" I was instantly worried, I may not have seen him fight but I have heard about how good he was and I was worried how I was going to come out of this.

"You didn't do something stupid because of your feelings for Hathaway?"

"I actually did a few but I never assaulted Rose" he was still angry with me, I hoped me changing the subject will prevent him from hitting me

"Tell me about them"

"Threatened a royal Moroi when I caught the two of them in a comprising situation, there was also an incident with a lust charm and then there were several moments when Rose would take advantage of the private moments we had. I might have yelled and pinned her to the floor and walls but I never assaulted her. What happened?"

"The lust charm sounds interesting. I honestly don't know, I saw the two of them and obviously I was jealous but as for the blind rage I had and when I beat her up, I don't know. I feel incredibly bad for what happened and that I did that too her, I've been careful ever since. I'm more worried about Michael doing something to her, I hate knowing the amount of pain she is in and I can't do anything because of who he is"

"I know and it's why Rose is here, she is keeping an eye on him while everyone back at Court works out what to do. He's a royal and since it is only her word against his there isn't much to do"

"You're not going to tell anyone what we spoke about are you?"

"Only Rose"

"I suppose it could be worse"

"It could, I could tell Adrian" I saw the smirk on his face but didn't know if he was messing with me or threatening to tell Adrian anyway.

**A/N: gabergirl – thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you are enjoying my story! The only reason my updates are more frequent is because I'm on summer break at the moment, the will slow down before I go back to University but I will give warning before that happens though.**

**GwennyDee – ****Chapter 21**** I'm glad you didn't see the kiss between Dri and Jeremy coming that was my intention, everyone seems to be talking about wanting Dri and Nikolaus together but you will just have to keep reading to find out. I hope you aren't confused by Jason anymore.**

**Chapter 22** – **No problem Stefan, I can't do that to the poor girl since she has enough problems. I'm glad you like the mystery aspect though**

**Chapter 23**** – I'm sorry if that conversation came across as weird, I didn't mean for it to happen but I had to put it in but I can assure you that Dri and Jeremy won't do that, Jeremy won't drink Dri's blood. The reasoning behind that will come up in the next couple of chapters.**

**Chapter 24**** – But yes Nikolaus was Jealous, he certainly didn't mean to cause Dri that much harm but as he said to Dimitri it was just blind rage.**

**Chapter 25**** \- I couldn't help myself when I was writing that bit, I wanted to put Michael as a Moroi but more about Michael will be explained in later chapters because I'm sure most people will have questions about him. I always planned to have Adrian on Dri's side same with the rest of the people she classifies as family, they might not believe her at first but they will in the end. The compulsion gets explained in later chapters so just hold out on that.**

**Chapter 26**** – The story does get back to Lissa and she puts in precautions to make sure that Dri is safe because she considers Dri family just like Rose and Dimitri.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Nikolaus POV

The morning session with Dri was just about finished, this morning I chose to do some conditioning training since it had been slipping lately to focus on combat training but I knew she was doing her own conditioning training as well as her scheduled class block.

"I want to do one spar session before we finish" I looked over at Dri, she looked so determined. Lately she had been trying harder and harder to beat me or even come close to beating me. I was about to say no because class was starting soon when she widened her eyes and looked at me, I instantly knew I couldn't say no that face. Who knew the stunningly beautiful and smart girl I had fallen for was also creative enough to work out how to soften me up.

"Alright just one, you have class soon"

"I can deal with that" I followed her over to the practise mats that were set up and did some light stretches before we started. There were times where I had to catch myself, I was staring at her and I didn't need her to catch me.

Dri was doing remarkably well in this fight, I was impressed with how well she was doing but I was still able to get the upper hand on her and pin her to the ground. She frowned and I didn't know if it was because she lost or if because I had her pinned to the mat.

Our faces were incredibly close and I knew if the gap closed even the tiniest bit I would be able to kiss her but I couldn't, no matter how much I wanted too. I stood up and pulled her with me, when we were standing I continued to hold her wrist just hoping she wouldn't start yelling at me for confusing her again.

"Can you show me that move you did to pin me?" she spoke softly while looking at me

"Of course" I began explaining what I was doing while I was doing it, I was doing it slowly so she could watch my movements. I didn't even realise that the whole time I had my hand placed on her arm.

I allowed her to practise on me, she was still struggling but what caught my eye was her footwork. I knew if she didn't fix it she would end up tripping over her own feet, I watched as she stumbled and she was heading face first into the mat. I quickly reached out and grabbed her waist to stop her from falling, I pulled her up and back against me.

We were standing like that with her standing in front of me and I had my arm still wrapped around her waist. I half expected her to pull away but what she did surprised me, she turned around and tried the move again. This time she succeeded and ended up pinning me to the floor.

I was proud of her for finally get something, yes I may have been distracted but she was able to perform the move and pin me as well. She was straddling my lap and had her hands wrapped around my biceps. I couldn't help myself I leaned up and kissed her, I expected her to pull away and slap me but instead she fell into the kiss and moved her hands so that her arms were wrapped around my neck.

When she let go of my arms I was able to move my hands, I wrapped one in her hair and placed the other on the small of her back and press her closer into me. I stopped kissing her lips and made my way down her neck and when I made it to her collar bone a quiet moan escaped her lips. If this was what kissing her caused I couldn't wait to see what would happen when this went further.

I took her being distracted for a moment and used it as an opportunity to flip us so I was on top. I ran a hand down her side and stopped briefly at her hip before going down her leg and gripping it, she took this as a sign to wrap both of her legs around my waist and I moved my hand back to her hip.

Just as I was about to take her top off the bell ran, of course it would ring and ruin this. I finally got to kiss Dri and the bell ruins it. But Dri wasn't stopping and I realised that the bell sounded off, that was when I realised I was asleep and the dream started to disappear as I woke up.

These dreams were nothing unusual, I had been having them more and more lately and I was starting to confuse them with the real moments I had with Dri. I finally worked out what the ringing was and realised it was my phone that woke me. I looked at the caller id and realised it was the reception desk downstairs.

"Anastas" I answered wishing it didn't ring and I could be back asleep.

_"Just ringing to inform you that Miss Ivashkov has snuck out of her room and the dorm"_

"Thank you, I will take care of it" I hang up the phone and climbed out of bed to get dressed before I headed down stairs. Dri had been sneaking out more and more lately and I didn't know if it had anything to do with Michael being here or if she was just stressed.

I headed out to the court yard that was near the dorm, she always went there mainly because it got the most amount of sunlight at this time of the day. I knew she missed the sunlight, it was part of the reason why she began sneaking out to begin with and now I wasn't so sure.

I found her sitting on the grass with her head resting on her chin, if she had noticed me she didn't say anything when I sat down next to her. I could tell she had been crying, normally she made an effort to wipe away the tear stains on her cheeks but tonight she didn't.

"Security or phone call?"

"Phone call, I had an early evening shift allowing me to get a full nights sleep before our session in the morning"

"Sorry I'm disturbing your sleep" I wanted to reach out wipe away the tears that stained her cheek but I had to stop myself.

"Why are you out here and not sleeping?"

"Can't sleep" she turned her head to look back up at the sky, I knew she was hiding something

"Can't or won't?" she turned back and looked at me shocked, I obviously guessed the right answer.

"Bit of both"

"Why?"

"Overactive imagination" she shrugged like it was nothing and reached up to finally wipe her cheeks, I noticed her eyes harden over and I knew she wouldn't be giving up more information. She had started doing this in recent weeks, it was like she was trying to distant herself from me and it was hard for her. I had always told her she could trust me and she had never had problems telling me stuff, normally I didn't care for the boring gossip that floated amongst the students and she didn't tell me that stuff but when something big happened she would tell me.

"Come on you should go back to your room and get some sleep"

"Can't I just sit here a bit longer?" the look she gave me almost made me believe I was still asleep and dreaming. I had never seen her look at with those wide eyes and slight pout on her face, I knew I was making it up in my head but seeing it in real life just made me realise how much she did affect me. I shook my head trying to get the dream out of my head and she frowned, obviously taking my shaking of the head as a no to her question and not something else.

"10 minutes" the smile of her face and the sparkle in her eyes was enough to make my heart melt. If the situation was different or we had completely different lives, we could be together, we could be on a date sitting in the middle of the park and I would have no problems reaching out to hug her and kiss her.

Before the 10 minutes was up Dri stood up and gave me a small smile. "Thanks I really needed this, I can get back in on my own"

"You sure?"

"Yeah but thanks anyway" I watched as she walked away, it was then I noticed the person standing off to the side trying to blend in. When Dri was completely gone the person emerged from the shadows and it was Hathaway making her way over here.

"I thought you follow Michael not Dri"

"I'm working security. Alberta asked if I could cover the night shift, what's bothering Dri?"

"She won't tell me anything anymore, she just said she was having problems sleeping" I looked at Hathaway as she took a seat beside me

"Dimitri told me you have fallen for her and I have been told bits and pieces from Dri. You're sending mixed signals and her being with Jeremy, it's confusing her"

"She told you that" I wanted to kick myself for this, I didn't think I had been that obvious

"No, she just told me you were confusing her. Doing that wasn't normal or playing hot and cold. I would have suspected what was going on but when Dimitri told me what you told him that was when I put everything together. She didn't say she was confused with everything, you and Jeremy but I could gather as much" we were both silent for a moment and then she punched me, and god damn did that hurt. If I had expected it I could have braced myself or even block it but I didn't either way.

"What was that for?"

"Beating the living shit out of Dri"

"Right...I expected Belikov to hit me as well"

"He wanted too but he didn't, he knows where you're coming from"

"I've heard what it was like for him what was it like for you?"

"It was weird, to begin with I just thought the little moments we had were just that and they weren't anything out of the ordinary. There were moments when I thought to myself how would Dimitri handle this or what would he think but I didn't think anything of them until the lust charm. After that I realised that I was in love with him and I couldn't stop it, I had even tried dating other guys to push the feelings away. We both tried so hard to stay in control and there were small moments where we lost the fight and then there was a big moment where completely lost and it was then that we agreed we would make this work. A few hours later he was a Strigoi"

"I've heard most of the story after that, you waited out the weeks until you turned 18 and then you took off in search of him. You didn't succeed in killing him and you came back, got placed back in classes, graduated at the top of your guardian class and went off to Court to be placed with a Moroi. Somewhere along the way Queen Vasilisa got kidnapped and you organised a raid to help get her and the rest of them back and Queen Vasilisa turned Belikov back into a dhampir, he was arrested and held in jail. Not long after he was set free you were placed in jail and then he broke you out"

"They're the stories everyone knows, there is always more to them then what meets the eye. I went to look for him and I found him but didn't succeed, I had to find him because we had unspoken promise that neither one of us wanted to be stuck that way. After that he was hell bent on killing me because if he didn't I would kill him but this has nothing to do with what we were talking about"

"You're right sorry..."

"It's fine but your situation with Dri is different to what Dimitri and I had. We didn't have someone out to us"

"No but there's Michael"

"You worry about Dri and I will worry about Michael. I hate that he did that to her and she felt like she couldn't tell anyone what happened"

"I'm assuming Belikov told you"

"After I had calmed him down, there's a reason that it's just me out here and not him as well. Christian was more than willing to send him here as well and I hate leaving Lissa but she convinced me I needed to do this while they worked on it back at Court. I think my dad has even gone to Australia to find some paperwork"

"Then what is the reason Belikov isn't here? I know he was here to begin with, why did he go back when he could have stayed? Dri said herself she felt better knowing both him and myself were watching from the shadows"

"You can't tell anyone this, I don't think Dri even knows and Dimitri's soft spot for her is almost as big as mine. But his mother was abused by a Moroi"

"It's why he's so set on helping Dri isn't yet? He hates that someone else he cares for has had this happened to and there was nothing he could do"

"Exactly, even now he can't do anything because he's a royal and there's no proof"

"I just want him gone from here and hopefully she can go back to living her life when her only worry was wondering if he was ever going to find her"

"We will, we're working on it. Come on I should get back to my post and you need to get some rest" she was right and I had to trust her and everyone back at Court. They all cared about Dri and didn't want her to suffer anymore than I did.

**A/N: GwennyDee thank you for reviewing, it reminded me I had a new chapter to post. Yes I had him it admit it to Dimitri and Dimitri didn't hit him because he knew what he was going through. As for what Rose did, well she never had the self control that Dimitri had. I'm glad my comments made you smile, I enjoy getting reviews that I can't not saying anything in return!**

**Thank you everyone for reading!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Adrianna POV

I was lying on my bed staring at my textbooks, I had a maths test tomorrow and I couldn't focus. I needed to study, my grades had been slipping slightly and dad already spoken to me about them and he understood why I was so unfocused but I was trying either way. Just as I was about focus on the next equation there was a knock at my door, Emily just walks in and Sarah and Amelia text before they come down to my end of the hall. I grudgingly got off my bed and walked over to open the door. When I opened it I couldn't help the smile on my face.

"Jer what are you doing here?" I reached up and put my arms around his neck to hug him as he walked both of us into my room and shut the door behind him.

"Well I missed my girlfriend, I haven't seen much of her and I don't know what to do. I was hoping I could get some advice" that's the other thing that was slipping, my relationship with Jeremy. He understood why I hated leaving my room but I hated knowing I making him feel unwanted.

"I'm so sorry Jer, you know why..." he cut off my sentence by kissing me

"Dri don't try and explain I understand, I hate it but I understand. I notice during meals when you instantly tense up and I don't have to look around to know it's because Michael entered the room. But me missing you isn't why I'm here since I saw you in class earlier, I'm here because I'm disappointed you didn't come to me after your confrontation with him yesterday. Why did Emily have to tell me and not you?" I pulled away from him, went and sat on my bed hugging my pillow.

I was in such a good mood yesterday morning, I had finally gotten to surprise Nikolaus and pin him. He seemed distracted but I took it anyway. Even in my novice classes I seemed to be doing better, they were the only classes I was really focusing on. I was still determined to prove that I deserved to graduate with my friends. And during both breakfast and lunch Michael hadn't appeared. I had to go to the bathroom after fifth period and when I entered my sixth period Physiology class worried I was about to get given a detention for being late I noticed the room was empty. I tried to rack my brain for information from yesterday's class about it being move but I couldn't remember anything.

I began looking through my bag for my phone when I remember that I left it to charge in my room, I had no way to message Emily or Stefan and ask where our class got moved too.

"They aren't here, they're taking the class in one of the library's side rooms" I turned around the sound of the voice, I found Michael standing there leaning against the doorway blocking my only way out.

"Why aren't you teaching?"

"I only teach in the mornings, you know this Adrianna"

"Then move aside so I can get to class. I need Physiology where as I don't need to have this conversation"

"I'm a teacher, you can't talk to me like that"

"You're not my teacher and plus I don't care what you think" I looked around the room trying to judge if I could jump out one of the windows. I was trying to decide if destruction of school property was worth me spending more time alone in here with him

"You should care what I think, remember what I said the other week. You're just a dhampir that has rumours running around that she is in the making to be a blood whore where as I'm a royal Moroi. I knew you were going to be a blood whore one day when you were living with me and I still believe that now. You even have a Moroi boyfriend, I wouldn't be surprised if you let him feed off you as well" as well...what did he mean by as well. I hadn't let Jeremy feed off me and I never would, I might not have been raised in this world but I still understood why things like that were taboo.

"What do you mean as well?" he laughed as he took a step closer to me.

"You seriously thought all those bruises where from the punches?" he couldn't be referring to feeding off me. He couldn't, it wasn't right. "Yes I did feed off you and to tell you the truth, dhampir blood is so much better than human blood"

"DRI! There you are" I heard Emily's voice but couldn't see her, I was grateful she had found me and I hoped she had heard the conversation.

"That's why you sent Jason to look for me?"

"It is" I was shocked, but at least I knew why Jason was so set on finding me.

"Come on Dri, class got moved to the library. When you didn't show up I asked Miss Lancaster if I could come see if you were here" Emily grabbed my arm started pulling me from the room, Michael let us go knowing he was no match for two novices.

"Please tell me you heard what he was saying and I don't have to convince them of anything"

"No I heard everything, him admitting to the bruises and that he fed off you. Come on we're going to look for your dad"

Dad didn't take the information well but he said he will pass it on to the people who needed to know and sent us back to class.

"Babe...?" I looked over at him, he was sitting on the edge of my bed staring at me. I shook my head at him and he moved closer to me on the bed and he pulled me closer to him.

"I just feel so used and dirty, ever since he came back the memories have as well. After I was out of that house I pushed the memories aside so I didn't have to think about them. Looking back on the memories some of them are fuzzy and I just thought it was because I couldn't remember it that well but now I think that maybe it was just the high. I listen in Moroi culture Jer, they explain the effects of a bite" I pulled away from him and he looked hurt. I wanted to apologize but he moved down the bed and smiled at me.

"Is that better?"

"What makes you think that will make me feel better?"

"Because you told me about your issues of being around Moroi when you first started here, I figured finding out that the guy who raped and beat you also fed off you would bring back all those concerns. I get it but I hate it, I want to be able to consol my terrified girlfriend but instead I will act like the nice boyfriend who is waiting for his frigid girlfriend to be comfortable for him to touch her" he grinned at me and I shook my head at him.

"You're an asshole sometimes, you shouldn't compare this to that it's completely different"

"But I'm a lovable asshole" if we were still friends this would be the point where I would reach over and hug him saying I loved him either way but we weren't just friends. We were dating and me agreeing to that would change everything. "Sorry old habits, it's fine I get why you're quiet" he must have realised what he said.

"I just need some time to process what Michael said, it changes everything"

"Do you trust me?"

"I do but what does that have to do with Michael"

"Then trust me" he moved back towards where I was sitting on my bed and he leaned over to kiss me.

I didn't want to panic but I was slightly but I reminded myself that I trusted him and he cared about me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he took this as a sign that I was alright and he moved me off the wall and laid me back down on the bed.

I had missed this with Jeremy and I didn't realise until now, until he pulled away from the kiss. I frowned at him and he smiled at me. He kissed my cheek, my jaw and my neck and that was when I completely panicked. I pulled my arms away from his neck and placed them on his chest and as if he knew I was going to push him away he pulled away.

"Adrianna, trust me, please" I shook my head at him and he frowned. "Please babe, I'm not going to do anything you aren't comfortable with"

"Alright..." I looked at him and I could tell he meant what he said. I moved my hand so I could grip his and I closed my eyes while he placed his lips back on my neck.

I could feel my heart rate increasing and I tried hard to lower it but I couldn't, I wasn't comfortable with this and he knew it but he wanted me to trust him. He stopped kissing my neck at some point and laid down beside me wrapping an arm around my waist. He didn't say anything and neither did I, I just laid there waiting for my heart rate to slow down.

When it eventually returned to normal I turned and face Jeremy, he was worried but I didn't know what he expected me to do.

"I'm sorry Dri"

"Why did you do that? You could obviously tell I wasn't comfortable with it"

"I could but you didn't try and stop me again, I wanted you to realise that not all Moroi are after just blood, I can happily kiss you like and even feel your racing heart beat and not want blood. I told you when we first got together Dri, I don't want you for blood I want you for you"

"You just want my body" I smirked at him I noticed his eyes look me up and down

"You're right, you have a killer body. So much better than everyone else I've been with" he placed one of his hands on my ass and gripped it to pull me closer to him allowing him to kiss me but I pulled back and frowned at him. "What's wrong?"

"Sex, you have had sex with multiple people both Moroi and dhampirs. Why haven't you tried with me?"

"Is this you telling me you want to have sex with me?" I shook my head at him. "Exactly, Dri I know what happened with Michael you told me so. If I didn't know then yes maybe I would have tried a few times by now but instead I let you control the pace. I don't want you to think for one second that I'm pressuring you into doing anything" he slipped his hand under my shirt and made soft circles with his thumb.

"Thank you" I smiled before leaning into him

He wrapped his arms tighter around me, I moved slightly to get more comfortable and his head ended up resting near my neck causing me to panic again. He pulled away, softly kissed my cheek and completely got off my bed taking a seat at my desk.

"Jer I'm sorry" I sat up and looked at him, I could tell he was hurt but he wasn't annoyed

"It's fine Dri. I don't understand why this would bring back those issues. It's not like it's nothing we haven't done before, it's like you don't trust me"

"I do trust you Jer, I didn't push you away. You pulled away yourself!"

"I could feel your heart rate rising, I knew you were starting to panic. I didn't want to go any further in case you really freaked out"

"But yet you didn't let me try and calm down, the only way I got over my problems was because I made friends with Moroi. It's exactly the same Jer"

"Then what do you want from me, you can't keep pushing me away every time things go too far. I'm not going to sit around acting like I'm only just friends with my girlfriend"

"How is that any different to if you wanted sex and I didn't?" I didn't mean to sound so angry but I was. He was so considerate when he first got here but now he was pushing me.

"I'm sorry Dri, I just don't know why it would affect the friendships you already have"

"Please come back over here" he sat there for a second before moving back to the bed. "It's the whole feeding thing Jer, knowing that's what he did to me as well as everything else"

"I get that but I've already told you. I don't want that with you, as you said earlier I only want you for your body" he grinned at me and I could help the smile on his face. He always knew how to make me smile and even though this was a difficult situation he was still trying to me smile.

"And there is the smile I love to see you on so much" he reached over and caressed my cheek.

"Thank you for coming here, I may have panicked when I shouldn't have but I promise I will try Jer" I leaned closer to him and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Dri I will always be here for you, please don't ever forget it" he leaned down and softly kissed me.

**A/N: gabergirl thank you for reviewing! Don't worry about not realising about my summer break, sometimes I forget most people on here are American. Unfortunately there won't be another scene between Nikolaus and Dimitri for a while as he isn't meant to be at the academy but maybe when the school year finishes up and Dri goes back to Court.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Adrianna POV

I had taken what Jeremy said into consideration and tried to get back on track with my concerns to do with the Moroi. When Jeremy and I first started dating I honestly thought that I was over my issues but finding out more happened with Michael then I originally believed just brought them back.

Michael had stayed away since the confrontation but I hadn't heard from dad as to if he told anyone what Emily had overheard and forced me to tell him. I had hoped that maybe dad could go to the headmistress and get Michael fired but he was still teaching at the academy.

The person who had shocked me was James Lazar, the new kid, over time we slowly got more information as to why he was here. Somehow my group of friends found out he was a spirit user but it wasn't something that was making its way through the rumour mill, it was almost like it was being kept a secret. He was in my maths class and somewhere along the way he decided he wanted to sit next to me. It wasn't like science where we had partners or even Moroi Culture where we had to work in groups, we could either work in groups or work alone.

"Have you finished the work yet?" I turned and looked at him, we were told to work on the equations alone and then switch with the person next them and that was him.

"Almost, I've just got to finished the last question" he didn't say anything but let me finish my work.

We never really spoke during class, there were moments when I caught him staring at me but I didn't say anything anymore. The first time I did he just shrugged and went back to work, it confused the hell out of me.

James didn't say anything else for the rest of class, he switched worked with me and went over it before handing it back and taking his own. As soon as the bell rang he was up and out of the classroom that was considered quick for a Moroi.

That night was weird, one minute I was having a dream where I was sitting on one of the beaches from back in Melbourne and the next minute I was standing in what I remembered to be my grandparents' house. Even looking round the room I was standing in I could see photos of me growing up before they died and even the small number of photos of my mother were still on the wall. When my grandparents had died I wasn't allowed anything, the only thing I was allowed to take was my clothing and the small electronic photo frame that I wouldn't let social services take from me. Everything else was put in storage until I was old enough to claim it.

"What is this place?" I turned around at the sound of the voice and found James standing there. I knew seeing him in classes made me realise he was good looking but taking notice of him now I was able to notice it even more. He must have realised I was checking him out, he smirked and raised an eyebrow at me.

"It doesn't matter, I'm assuming this is a spirit dream and you brought me here?"

"It is, I'm surprised you realised that"

"You know who I am surely that also means you know who my father is"

"I do, I'm just surprised he would visit you in a dream"

"It's only happened once, I was curious about them and asked him too. I remember the feeling of everything being real but you could change what you wanted at will"

"That is true, just like how I can change what you are wearing" he walked over and looked closely at me. I looked down and noticed that I was now wearing a tight fitting bright red dress that showed off the curves I had. I didn't exactly know what I was wearing but I doubt it would have been this.

"Why did you put me in this dress?"

"I saw a Moroi in it once and I thought it would look better on a dhampir and I was right" he grinned at me and now I noticed he was checking me out

"Why did you bring me here?"

"It's about Lord Voda, Lord Michael Voda to be exact"

"Why?"

"What do you know about Spirit users?"

"A lot more than people think I do, I know how it affects my dad so I don't tell my friends what I know. I know it affects them because their power is drawn from themselves and not the environment around them like the other elements. There aren't many documented cases of Spirit users, St Vladimir was one of the earliest ones and then it disappeared until it was discovered in Queen Vasilisa and then my father. I know the skills and abilities vary from person to person for example Queen Vasilisa still cannot dream walk and my father struggles with growing plants"

"Excellent, what about the abilities, what do you know about them?"

"Some of them I don't know how they work, I just know what they are. There's the obvious one, healing, dream walking, aura reading, reading minds, stronger compulsion, creating scenes that aren't there and I've heard rumours about mind control that was separate from compulsion" the scenery changed and I was devastated, I was enjoying standing in my grandparents living room but I was also distracted. Maybe James realised this. We were now standing in the middle of a court yard that was surrounded by hundreds of flowers in full bloom and the sun was out.

"Maybe you won't be so distracted here. Yes those are just some of the spirit abilities, I can heal, read auras and of course I have a greater compulsion ability. I can also read minds or sometimes just emotions, most of the time it's just emotions but being closer to a person allows me to see into their mind, especially if it's for long periods of time"

"That's why you moved and sat next to me in math class?" I didn't know if felt violated or disgusted

"It is but before you beat me up, I won't tell anyone what I know but there was a reason I moved closer to you so I could read your mind. When I heard who you were I was intrigued much like everyone else was when you first got here. Your aura is weird for someone who shows how confident they are with the life they have. It's this bright green, nothing like the colour of your eyes but still bright. A green aura usually refers to people who crave security and safety, normally they had a rough upbringing. Every now and then orange flickers through which is normal for most teenagers, it means they want to be accepted and during class you have yellow flick through indicating knowledge. What shocked me was the black colour that took over you aura whenever Lord Voda entered the room and when he spoke to you it would be both black and red. Red indicates a few different things depending on the shade, the shade it is and it being paired black made it easy for me to assume anger"

"What does black refer too?"

"Great emotion turmoil, it only occurs when something has truly affected someone, normally death. But I couldn't get much about you from the rumour mill, apparently you were in the making to be a blood whore. That is why I moved, I wanted to know why Lord Voda caused such an effect on you"

"I still don't see what this has to do with anything"

"I'm getting there, when I moved closer to you I was able to shift through your memories. Hit me, punch me, kick me, see if I care. I was curious but after seeing what I saw I couldn't stay quiet anymore. I saw the memories you had of him abusing you and it isn't right. There's another thing as well, he's my uncle"

"Wait what?"

"Him and my mother are brother and sister. When I saw the first memory I rang my mum and asked about him. She said that he took off not long after his graduation, he didn't take any guardians with him and she had no idea where he was. She hadn't heard from him in almost 20 years"

"Until he turned up here?"

"Exactly, she said there were rumours floating around during their time at school of him drugging and raping girls. They went to a Moroi only academy so he wasn't able to feed on dhampirs like he did with you"

"But why the dream, why couldn't you talk to me in person"

"I figured here if things became bad I could end the dream. I didn't even know if you would talk to me outside of class, we don't exactly talk. What would you have done if I wanted to talk to you about him?"

"Most likely walked off"

"Exactly at least I grabbed your interested and you stayed long enough to hear me out"

"But what does this have anything to do with him now?"

"I've seen the memories and I can pass them on to other people but so far I can only do it with only other Spirit users. My mum doesn't trust him, I didn't tell her what I knew but she figured out I found someone it happened too and she wants to help"

"We can use this to get rid of him?" I wanted to feel excited about the idea of getting rid of Michael, but hope only lead to devastation in my experience

"Most likely lock him up as well, look I know your family back at Court are trying to work out what to do because at the moment it's you against him but I can show the Queen these memories"

"Why did you get expelled from your old school?"

"I didn't get expelled, I chose to leave. I've known for a year now that I was a Spirit user, it started with the mind reading and reading of emotions and then the auras came. To begin with I just thought I was good at reading people but after a while I couldn't take it. My teacher wasn't a Spirit user, they more supervised me while I did research or practised. After a while I got sick of it and asked if I could move schools mum agreed when I told her I wanted to come here and learn from your dad"

"So if you really want to help me where do we go from here?"

"Depends who do you trust more, Guardian Anastas or your dad?"

"Wouldn't my dad be a better option because he is a Spirit user as well?"

"Do you really think I'm going to show him those memories? I was hoping I could just show the Queen and that's it. The less people who see them the better, I hate that I've seen them"

"Can I think about it? Why does it have to be one of those?"

"Because they're the only people who you trust that we can access here at the academy, if Guardian Hathaway or Belikov turned up then I would say choose one of them if you wanted but we're limited"

"Can I think about it?"

"Certainly, get some sleep Adrianna" the last thing I saw was his smile before the dream disappeared and I woke up feeling completely and utterly confused and violated.

I needed air and I hated that the windows didn't open enough for me to feel satisfied with the air that was coming through, so I decided to sneak out of my room even though I knew it would only be 10 minutes tops before Nikolaus found me and convinced me to go back to my room.

I was right. "8 minutes and 30 seconds" I spoke as he sat down next to me.

"When are you going to get a full night's sleep?"

"I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep your majesty" I narrowed my eyes at him

"What's bothering you?"

"Nothing I'm willing to talk about right now, I'm trying to sort it all out in my head"

"Dri..."

"Nope forget it, I'm going back to bed" I stood up and left him sitting there shocked, I had always talked to him about stuff that was bothering me but this time I couldn't I had to figure it out on my own, I needed to work out if I trusted him or my dad more. I needed to work out how I felt about James reading my mind and sorting through my memories but the only good thing out of it was that maybe it can help get rid of Michael. James made reference to him being locked up and that was the thing I wanted the most right now.

**A/N: gabergirl thank you for reviewing, yeah the part of the story to do with Michael takes over at the moment for the next few chapters so hopefully any questions anyone has left about Michael will be covered.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Adrianna POV

It had been a week since James had visited me in my dreams and he hadn't returned, he also hadn't said anything to me in class about what we spoke about either. He still sat with me in class and we made small talk like we always had, making everyone else believe nothing had changed but everything had.

He found out my deepest secret and not because I chose to tell him, he read my mind. At first I felt violated about it but now I was grateful, it gave me a positive view about finally being able to do something about Michael but there was a slight problem. James had asked me to chose between Nikolaus and dad as to whom I trusted more, I didn't know why he wanted me to choose but I was having trouble choosing one of them.

I kept going back and forth as to who was at the top of the list, I would come up with something for Nikolaus which put him on top and then something would pop up for dad. It was an endless back and forth cycle that was starting to do my head in.

I was currently sitting in the gym with Nikolaus for my private session, it was the afternoon and classes had finished for the day. In Physiology we had finally started the topic surrounding the heart and the rest of the cardiovascular system, since it was a subject that was taught to both Moroi and dhampirs it covered things concerning both races but I was struggling a little bit and I asked Nikolaus to help me understand what was covered today.

"Why is this so hard?" I groaned as I laid back against the training mats, I was still struggling to grasp the concept behind how oxygen travelled around the body and its movement.

"You just need to focus again; I know you haven't been concentrating on your classes lately"

"More then you know" I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at him while he raised an eyebrow at him. I hadn't told him about Michael feeding on me yet but since dad knew I didn't know if word had gotten back to him or not.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope, I want to be able to understand this stupid concept" I laid back down and my placed my hands over my face

"It's not that hard, deoxygenated blood leaves the heart and travels to the lungs where oxygen is then transferred into the blood. The oxygenated blood travels back to the heart where it is then pumped around the body delivering oxygen to both the muscles and organs"

"See that makes sense in my head, not this garbage in the text book"

"That's because I'm using basic terms, you need to know the terms in the book"

"Can't we just spar instead?" I removed my hands and looked at him trying to plead with hi

"Nope, you wanted to learn this so I'm going to teach you" I don't know why I had the urge to do this but I did and I did it anyway. I picked up the textbook and threw it at him, damn him and his quick reflexes. He was able to grab the book before it hit him.

"I'm sorry" I scrunched up my nose at him

"No you're not, you're frustrated"

"Fine, let's talk about body guard theory then. I've had enough of physiology"

"Dri you don't even have that textbook here. You just brought your physiology one"

"Why do we need a textbook, why can't we practise with the training dummies?"

"Alright then" he stood up and walked into the storage room and began walking out with the training dummies and placing them around the room. I sat there on the floor and watched what he was doing, I had no idea what he was planning but I was intrigued.

"What are you doing?" I stood up and walked to the middle of the room, he was still bringing practise dummies out.

"Setting up a scenario, right so these are the Moroi, pick out the guardians" I looked around and noticed it looked familiar from the textbook.

I walked around and pointed out who I believed were the guardians, I was doing well until he changed it up on me and started putting in Strigoi as well so now I had to distinguish between them and the dhampirs.

We were on scenario number whatever, I lost count and we were arguing about why I believe they could be dhampirs instead of Strigoi when I heard the door open, I didn't turn my head not really caring who it was. Recently more and more seniors had been spending more time in the gyms, they had learnt not to come straight after classes otherwise we all got in each other's way.

"Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt, I thought you would have finished by now" I turned around and found James standing there, I didn't realise he knew about these sessions or when they ran but then I remembered he had shifted through my memories so of course he knew.

"It's fine, we're finished anyway. I need to have dinner before my shift. Dri look over your text book, you will find that I am right on this one" I gave him a glare as he turned and left. I looked over at James and noticed he looked uncomfortable standing there.

"What are you doing here?"

"Came to ask if you finally figured out who you trust more"

"Why couldn't you visit me in a dream like last time?" he shrugged at me and took a seat on one of the benches. "Why can't it be both of them? I don't see how me choosing one will really help"

"Because the less people we have in on this the easier and we need an adult on it because we can't leave campus"

"Fine let's go with Nikolaus, somehow I think the less my dad knows the better. He hasn't exactly been someone to react calm and rational about all of this"

"Very well, we need to tell him everything I told you the other night and get him contact with my mum and those two can work it out from the outside"

"That's fine, I can do it tomorrow. I need to tell Jeremy though, I can't keep all of this from him he will know something is going on especially if you keep crashing my training sessions"

"I can deal with that, I want to be there though so I can explain my side of it all"

"That's fine why don't we go do that now and then in the morning you can crash my session with Nikolaus and we can tell him then, I should probably tell him about the feeding as well. I have no idea if he does know, do you know?" I raised an eyebrow at him. He said in the dream he wouldn't tell anyone my secrets so it made me wonder how many of secrets he was keeping secret for people

"I don't spend enough time with him to get a look into his mind, only a brush of his emotions"

"Oooo what was he feeling on his way out?" he raised an eyebrow at me. "Humour me"

"Nope not telling you, it's the same as me telling him you were frustrated and angry with him when I walked in. I spend more time with you because of maths so your emotions come easier to me than most people"

"You suck, come on let's go find Jeremy"

"Of course I do" he smirked at me and it took me a moment to realise what he was getting out and I stopped and stared at him. I didn't realise what my comment would cause and I don't think he would either. He must have picked up on my emotions and his smirk fell.

"I'm sorry, it was a bad joke"

"It's fine, come on" I walked over and pick up my bag and books. I pulled my phone out hoping the usual message from Jeremy would be there telling me where he was and it was, he was in the novice dorm with the rest of our friends.

"So where are we going?"

"Jeremy's with the rest of our friends, do you know the spot in the library I like to hang out or have you not seen enough of my memories?"

"I know it, I'll meet you there"

"I'll drop my stuff and grab Jeremy, be there soon yeah?" he nodded at me before leaving the gym and heading towards the library while I went the other way towards the novice dorm.

When I made it down to the lounge after stopping by my room I found my friends laughing about something in the corner.

"What did I miss?" I sat down next to Jeremy after getting him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Oh I was just telling them about what happened with Ryan and Kevin and Fire class. How was training babe?"

"It was fine just theory, I asked him to explain in different terms then what the teacher did for Physiology. Can you come with me and on the way you can explain what happened in class?"

"Of course babe" Jeremy stood up and reached out for my hand. I grabbed and as we walked off I could our friends making catcalls and making jokes at our expense.

"So since we aren't sneaking up to your room I'm assuming I'm not getting lucky like our friends think I am?"

"No actually we're going to the library, I may have found a lead on how to deal with Michael but I didn't want to keep you out of the loop"

"How did you find a lead?"

"Well it's more like he found me"

"He?"

"Yeah, I'll explain. Come on"

We continued making our way towards the library and along the way he told me about how Ryan had accidently set fire to Kevin when he was just meant to put the fire around him. Ryan had been told numerous times he wasn't cut out for the offensive magic class since he didn't have the concentration levels to be focused enough for what was need.

We made it to the library and I could tell Jeremy was curious but didn't say anything until we made it to the back corner and James was sitting there waiting for us.

"What is he doing here?"

"He is the lead I was talking about"

"How the kid hasn't even been here a year and when the hell did you find time to befriend him well enough to tell him what happened"

"I didn't want to tell him, he found out himself because he's so goddamn nosy but I'm glad he found out Jer. We might have a case to get him put in jail for what he's done"

"How did he find out then?"

I began filling Jeremy in on what happened with the dream and James explained how he knew Michael as well as explaining what happened during Michael's time at school. The whole Jeremy stayed quiet and waited while we explained it all, the only time he asked questions was when James started explaining his Spirit abilities.

"So you've seen the memories she has?" Jeremy looked at James and I could tell he was furious. I grabbed Jeremy's hand to calm him down

"I have, I didn't mean too. I was just curious as to why he caused so much pain. I was curious as to why a dhampir who grew up in the human world had a problem with a royal Moroi who fell off the radar. I haven't told anyone in case you're wondering"

"I'm not happy with the idea you taking a peak at my girlfriends memories"

"I know and I get it, sometimes I hate what I've seen. Sometimes people focus so much on a memory it practically forces itself on me, like right now you keep flipping between the memories of her telling you everything and when you talked her the day after finding out that she was told he also fed on her. Where as she is trying to remember memories from before she was five like she has been all week" Jeremy looked at me and I shrugged at him

"Why before you were five?"

"The dream he spoke to me in started off with my in my grandparents living room, I've been thinking about the time I spent with them recently"

"Look we're losing track, Michael has realised who I am and that I'm his nephew. The less time we can spend together in public the better, I can set up dreams for the three of us to talk and hopefully bring my mother in as well but still"

"I get it, we don't want Michael knowing we're working together James. He might push harder to make people think I'm crazy or something"

"Exactly, tomorrow morning we will fill Guardian Anastas in on everything and then we will work out what to from there"

"Wait why Anastas?"

"Because we need an adult I trust here at the academy, it was between dad and him. I chose Nikolaus because the less horrible details dad knows the better"

"And you think I want to know the horrible details?"

"I knew if I kept this from you would wonder what I was keeping from you. I knew you would get suspicious if I was all of a sudden friendly with James"

Jeremy didn't say anything, he just wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. James knowing there was nothing else to talk about he said goodbye and left us alone in the corner. Jeremy knew I was still bothered by everything but was taking things slow until I was comfortable with everything.

Nikolaus was annoyed that we hijacked my morning training session but he took the information a bit better then what Jeremy did or maybe he had the typical guardian mask on that hid the emotions that I normally saw written across his face. The only bit of emotion I saw was panic, which was weird considering when I saw it was when Jeremy was explaining how he could read emotions and memories if he had enough access to the memory or the memory was strong for him to access.

**A/N: GwennyDee – I'm hoping you doing the biggest gasp after reading Nikolaus' dream means that you liked it. Yes I do feel bad for Nikolaus that it was just a dream. I did it for a reason, most dhampirs have one dhampir parent where as Dri doesn't. Abe always came across as someone who could find anything, hence why I sent him there. I made Rose and Dimitri do that so they could be there for her when she needed them or had questions about various dhampir related things.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

James POV

Confrontations weren't my thing, I preferred to stay away from most conflicts and the other Moroi thought it was weird considering I was royal but being a Spirit user affected me. Not many people knew how bad it was, I was grateful to finally have a teacher who was a Spirit user and knew how badly it could affect us, I tried everything I could to numb my abilities. Reading people's emotions was what came out first, to begin with I thought it was just because I could read people well and then I was able to shift threw people's memories, it was how I found out my girlfriend was cheating on me. I was at a loss as to what was wrong with me because all the other Spirit abilities they tested me with I couldn't do at the time so they just assumed I hadn't specialized and I kept my abilities to myself.

There was a party one night and I was on suspension and under heavy supervision and not able to sneak out of my dorm but my friends had gone without me. I woke up to a phone call saying that Millie had been injured, she was my best friend ever since we were kids and I couldn't bear the thought to lose her she made everything so much better, sometimes she worked just as well as alcohol and drugs at numbing the affects.

I took off running for the school hospital not even caring about the dorm advisor and how much trouble I was in. I found her lying unconscious I couldn't handle it, I wished and prayed that everything would get better. The doctors didn't know if she would wake up and no one was able to get out of anyone at the party what actually happened. I can't even remember doing it but I passed out and when I woke up Millie was leaning over me and I could tell she was concerned.

That was when I found that I was a Spirit user, I had healed Millie. I was lucky she wasn't close to death to create a bond between us. Millie was the reason I left my old school, she did the research on Lord Ivashkov and found out where he was teaching and told me I should leave. It took a lot of convincing on her part but I finally decided too. My mother was easier to convince about leaving, she was more than happy to send me to another school if it meant I could learn something about this strange ability I seemed to have.

Adrian was a little sceptical about my emotion and mind reading abilities but it didn't take long to convince him otherwise. We sat there in the classroom while I shifted through his memories looking for something no one would know about him and eventually I found them, I found the memories of when Adrian had met Adrianna's mother.

When I noticed Adrianna it was the eyes that shocked me, I had never seen the bright green emerald eyes on a dhampir before and I knew a few dhampirs that had Ivashkov Moroi parents. I was curious as to who she was and where she grew up, I knew she didn't grow up in this world. It was all I gathered from the rumour mill.

I began focusing on her aura and I was shocked by the colours, the green wasn't normal for someone who seemed so confident. Normally I saw it on shy timid people who were afraid to try and fit in, it wasn't until I was watching her sitting with her friends during lunch one day when I noticed Lord Voda walk in. He walked over to her table and her aura instantly changed to black and red, I had already worked out he was my uncle and rang my mum for confirmation. Turns out he had reached out to her when he returned from wherever he ran off too after his graduation.

After that I moved to sit next to her in maths class, it was the only class we shared. I knew I shouldn't have done this but I was curious as to why she had that type of reaction around Lord Voda. The only time I saw that reaction was when one of the students at my old school had suddenly died, whenever she was mentioned the people who were close to her were affected and their auras turned black for a few moments while they grieved and missed her.

I was completely and utterly shocked when I found the memories she had of him, he had raped, beaten and fed off her but I don't even know if she knew he had fed off her. I began sorting through other memories trying to work it all out but she was only with him for a short time before she was shipped off to the next home.

I wasn't planning on saying anything to her, I didn't know how to approach about what I knew. I suspected her to be angry about what I did but when I told her everything in the dream I had seemed to catch her interest as to why I was here. First I had to explain my abilities and then explained what I had seen.

Everything worked out for the best, she had chosen Guardian Anastas to trust this all with and I agreed to let her tell her boyfriend as well. Jeremy hadn't taken the information well, I thought at one point he was either going to punch me or set me on fire. I knew how angry he was but having Adrianna there helped calm him down, he really cared about her.

Telling Guardian Anastas the information was weird to say the least. I walked into the gym to find him alone, I had hoped Adrianna would be there before me and he wouldn't question as to why I was there to begin with and considering I interrupted the end of their session the night before he wouldn't be happy.

"What are you doing in here Mr Lazar?"

"Looking for Adrianna"

"Well we have a session starting soon, you need to leave. You can look for Adrianna during lunch"

"Sorry I'm late" Adrianna spoke while running into the gym. "Oh James you're already here, good."

"Dri what's going on?"

"I'm kind of hijacking the session, I need to talk to you about something" I opened up to Spirit and focused on the emotions around me. Nerves and concern were radiating from Adrianna while worry and love were radiating from Guardian Anastas which confused me but I didn't push any further.

"What does this have to do with Mr Lazar though?"

This time I stayed quiet while Adrianna explained the story, even though he had the typical Guardian mask on I could feel the emotions run off him. I was definitely intrigued at the point where Adrianna said that I could read emotions and memories, his eyes flicked in my direction and all that was coming from him was worry.

I was curious and began shifting through his memories, I wanted to know why he was so worried about me. Finding those memories and realising the feelings he had towards Adrianna was a shock, he was in love with her. He had even spoken to a couple of people about them but he hadn't acted on them, there were times where he almost lost control and almost played into temptation but he didn't. I flicked over to his aura it was nothing unusual to be seen on guardians, it had a dark blue edge. Most guardians did because they focused their life on protecting the Moroi but their inside colour varied on their own personality, Guardian Anastas was light blue indicating softness, understanding and caring. He cared more then he needed too.

But it was when he was looking at Adrianna there was flashes of light purples, pinks and light reds all indicating love. Normally people would convince themselves they were in love with someone and looking at their memories you could agree but if it didn't show in their aura then it wasn't real love, just lust. And Guardian Anastas was in love with Adrianna and she was completely oblivious to it.

I noticed they were both staring at me, I must have missed the conversation.

"Sorry what did you say?"

"What were you so focused on that you didn't hear me?" Guardian Anastas was looking at me

"Yeah I'm absolutely fascinated with Adrianna's memories, I'm curious as to how she grew up. You know boys, love, friends and of course all the trouble she caused" Adrianna rolled her eyes at me, she knew I regularly shifted through her memories, she didn't care anymore because sometimes I would come across something that would help us and I could bring up memories of her life before her grandparents died.

"Right, anyway I asked what you had planned"

"That, well for the time being I can't do much from here. I don't have access to Queen Vasilisa, if she came out here then maybe I could ask Lord Ivashkov to set something up but until then we have to keep working on the case. I know there are people investigating it on the outside of these wards"

"Why bring me into this?"

"Because you can leave the grounds where as we can't"

"I can't leave whenever I want, Dri is the reason for that. We have training sessions"

"You're lying and I know that the Guardians are placed here for a reason, they aren't in the field for a reason. I know they can go between here and Court when they want too, someone else can take her sessions just as they did during the senior field experience" he stared at me, he didn't think I knew that and in fact most students don't know it. I overheard a conversation when I first arrived here. I could tell Adrianna was shocked by this bit of information.

"Is this true?" she was looking at me but the question was directed at Anastas

"It is, why do you think the guardians rotate in and out so quickly? If a Guardian loses their Moroi charge they get sent to an academy while they recover, most Guardians blame themselves for their Moroi getting killed. Whether they were working or not"

"Is that why you got sent here?"

"Yes" Nope, he was lying. I had already found the memory of why he was sent here. I couldn't wait until he explained this one to Adrianna, actually no I don't care about that. I wanted him to confess his love for her that would be interesting.

"Seriously what are you smirking about over there?" this time Adrianna was talking to me

"Nothing I just love being in the background. Guardian Anastas maybe you should contact Guardian Belikov or Hathaway and see what they have discovered"

"I've noticed you blending in the background and not hanging around the rest of the royals why is that?"

"My abilities, I get overwhelmed by the amount of feelings people throw at me so I stick to the background. Staying away from people helps them all blend together, even being in here with you two is giving me a headache. Both of your emotions are running high and because I spend so much time focusing on Adrianna I can tell which are hers strangely enough by default I know which are yours Anastas but still the headache gets worse so I tune conversations out"

"You may as well call me Nikolaus if we are going to keep having these conversations"

"And you can call me James but we won't be having these conversations in public. I will actually be setting up dream meetings between the three of us and my mother" the bell rang indicating it was time for class. I had my Spirit class with Lord Ivashkov first up and I knew Adrianna had one of her novice classes.

"I will see you both this afternoon" Adrianna gave us both a smile before leaving the gym and leaving both of us alone. As soon as she was gone and the door was completely shut Nikolaus turned and faced me completely worried about what was going to take place next.

"What do you know?"

"Everything"

"What do you mean everything?"

"What happened with your brother, the reason you got sent here, how you really felt about what happened to Adrianna, how you fell in love with her, how you are still in love with her and you struggle every day to stay in control and not fall to temptation, how you reacted to seeing her get beaten up by Jason, how you asked Guardian Belikov for advice, what happened when you visited your mother over Christmas break and how much it hurts you too see how much pain Adrianna is in"

"An hour was enough for you to gather that much information?"

"To begin with you weren't giving anything up, except for how you reacted to finding out about what happened to her but once you heard what I could do you started focusing on those memories about loving her and how it made everything affect you much worse. When you don't focus on certain memories it's harder for me to focus on them as well, I have to sort through everything"

"That's what you had to do with Dri?" now he was curious about what I could actually do but I know he was still worried I would tell her what I knew

"It is, it took a while. You wouldn't believe how many peoples' secrets I have in my head, affairs, students cheating on tests, breaking school rules, people planning suicides, people planning to escape the academy"

"You should tell a teacher when they are as serious as suicide"

"I do actually, I tell Adrian and he passes it on. Look I won't tell anyone how you feel about Adrianna but you should know she is confused by your hot and cold game and she is worried it is going to affect her relationship with Jeremy"

"Why is she worried?"

"No idea, I can't find the source of the concern. For all I know I could have already seen the reasons for her concern and not realised it but when I look at memories I don't get the whole picture. I only get what is happening at the time as well as their feelings but not thoughts, for all I know there are more memories I haven't come across yet and they connect the dots. As I said I'm curious about her upbringing so I sort through her memories but mainly for her sake, I spend a lot of time focusing on her memories before she was five. I can bring them forward so she can remember them better"

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"I may not have spent much time with Jeremy but I've spent enough with him to know what he's like and I'm worried one day he is going to break her heart. Strangely enough I want you to be there, there's something there between the two of you. I can't quite work it out and I'm curious as hell but for now nothing is coming to me. Her emotions and memories don't match her aura and it's weird normally they do unless they are in denial or in most cases they confuse love with lust"

"Please tell me I'm confusing love with lust" he looked so hopeful and if I was a better person I would have told him what he wanted to hear but I've been the asshole guy that handed out the truth whether they wanted to hear it or not.

"Can't sorry, I should get to class. Have fun with everything" I smirked at him before leaving the gym. I told him the truth and there was something there between the two of them but not enough information for me to figure out.

**A/N: GwennyDee thank you for always reviewing, I love receiving emails saying someone has reviewed. **

**Chapter 29**** – He is really horrible but it makes for a story, as for Jeremy he just honestly believed he was helping her. He really cares about Dri and just wants to help**

**Chapter 30**** – It's why I made James a Lazar, it made people think about it and since it had been a few chapters since I first introduced him it kept him in the backs of peoples' minds. I've put a twist on the Spirit abilities that had been shown in the books and as for showing Adrian and Nikolaus, well he doesn't plan on showing Adrian and at this point in time he is unable to show Nikolaus. My intent is to eventually lock Michael up, it's the process of getting there that is a little bit trickey.**

**Chapter 31**** – As you would have read this chapter covers exactly what James does know, so yes he does know that Nikolaus is in love with Dri. Nikolaus is only panicked because he is worried that James will tell Dri and that is the last thing that he wants as it will change everything.**

**Gabergirl thank you for reviewing it means a lot and I just mentioned above if you didn't read it, yes James could tell that he is in love with Dri. **

**Ittzallaboutjazz – thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you are enjoying my story!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

James POV

"Why can't we bring Adrian in on this?"

"Because the less people that knows the better"

"Jaime have you seen anything in Michaels head?" I don't know why I agreed to do these dream meetings, Adrianna and Nikolaus were constantly arguing about something or if on the rare occasion Adrianna convinced me to bring Jeremy in Nikolaus and Jeremy would fight where as my mother was more concerned with how I was for most of the dream before actually getting to the problem at hand.

I had gotten to the point where I ignore the conversation, I started making us appear in some make shift lounge room with enough couches for all of us. These happened weekly and every time I got frustrated, I couldn't read minds when they were all asleep but I could read emotions and see auras and it was still enough to give me a headache. I just wanted to cancel this dream, have a drink or two of something alcoholic and get some sleep. Actually I would try to sleep, I don't know why but for some reason Spirit users have trouble sleeping. Lord Ivashkov told me he does as well, he also said Queen Vasilisa didn't but the only connection we could think of was the dream walking ability she didn't have.

Lord Ivashkov believed because we spent too much time in fake dreams that we were confusing reality with a dream state. I was completely honest with him and told him that he was already crazy and he didn't have to worry about going crazy anymore.

"Jaime are you listening to me?" I looked over at my mother, she hated knowing her brother did this to Adrianna and she was going to try everything in her power to get him locked away for his crimes.

"Awe she calls you Jaime" I glared at Adrianna, no one called me Jaime except my mother.

"Shut it Ivashkov"

"Look we are getting nowhere with this, but your mother is right James. Have you seen anything inside Michaels head?"

"No the idiot avoids me like the plague, at first he came up to but he must have realised what I can do and now he stays away. I have no idea why, the only time Adrianna and I talk is during maths class"

"Maybe you should talk to him Jaime, act like you actually want to get to know him. You can be charming and friendly when you put your mind to it. Try talking to him long enough to get a good look in his head"

"You know what I've had enough, my head is killing me. Goodnight everyone" I didn't even let them speak before I let the dream disappear and I came too in my room. They were lucky, they got to sleep while I had to be awake for these meetings. The only reason I had no problem doing it was because I had problems sleeping in general anyway.

I don't remember how much I had to drink or even what the time was when my alarm woke me up the next morning. My head was killing me and it wasn't the usual headache I had from too many emotions and memories coming my way, it was because I was hung over and I knew it was my fault. I groggily stood up and made my way towards the showers and stood under the boiling hot water in hopes of waking me up in time for my class with Adrian.

When I entered the classroom we used for our classes I made a beeline for the couch in the corner and he took one look at me.

"You're hung over"

"Got it in one Ivashkov" I raised my hand at him before placing it over my eyes to dim the lights that were making my headache worse. Ivashkov must have felt sorry for me, he stood up and walked over to dim the lights so I didn't have to block my eyes

"I am curious where you get your alcohol from"

"How did you get a hold of alcohol during your time at school?"

"Good point, I forgot how much you've seen. What did you do last night that made you want to drink so much?"

"Doesn't matter" he asked this question every week, in fact I turned up hung over every Friday since Thursday nights was the dream meeting scheduled time since Nikolaus didn't have any night shift patrols.

"You turn up every Friday hung over, there must be something you are doing to make you want to numb yourself"

"Have you ever thought that maybe the people living around my dorm are the reason I want to numb out their stupid feelings! Seriously I'm surprised I don't turn up every morning hung over. I'm stuck dealing with the emotions of horny teenagers who will take any chance they can get to rip each other's clothes off, teenagers freaking about upcoming exams or even the senior dhampirs I pass that are already freaking out about their final evaluation oh and let's not forget your daughter who is struggling with the fact that her rapist is now a teacher here" ohh crap what did I just say, I so did not mean to say that. I was just so busy ranting about how annoying it was having all these different emotions come out throughout the day. It was the only Spirit ability I couldn't completely shut off.

"What did you just say?" I sat up and looked at him

"What horny teenagers? I didn't think you were like that"

"Don't make sick jokes like that" I had also seen enough of his memories to see the relationship between Hathaway and Belikov from his prospective as well as how he came out of it. I knew from seeing into Nikolaus' memories that Belikov and Hathaway had fallen for each other when she was his student.

"Sorry"

"You mentioned Dri and a rapist being a teacher"

"No I didn't"

"Please don't tell me you have been shifting through her memories?"

"Fine I won't"

"James!"

"I haven't told anyone what I know, surely you know that"

"Now I need a drink"

"Except you can't because you're teaching"

"Don't be smart with me. Does Dri know you know?"

"She does, we're trying to work out a plan to get him out of here"

"When, I don't think I've actually seen you having a real conversation"

"Dreams, we use the dreams to make sure Michael doesn't see us. He's my uncle, so the less he sees us together the better"

"That's why you're hung over. You were with her last night, surely you know how much spirit it takes"

"Don't lecture me on that sort of stuff, are we going to continue the spirit charms?" Ivashkov didn't say anything as he pulled out the box of silver and placed it in front of me.

It was a few days later and I was sitting at my usual table by self. Making friends was hard, the closer I got to people the easier their feelings came to me. I use Adrianna as an example, it's a weird friendship we have but yet I'm sitting on the other side of the room to what she is and yet her emotions are coming at me as clear as if I was sitting right next to her.

I felt panic come through the bond and I looked up from my lunch to see Lord Voda standing in front of her at the table. I wanted to walk over there and make sure she was alright but I couldn't let him know I was friends with Adrianna. He couldn't think for a second that we were plotting behind his back, so I had to do the hard thing and sit back and watch.

While I was watching I noticed someone else watch from the shadows, Nikolaus was keeping on Adrianna. I forgot how much he had watched from the shadows, I never really took notice of the Guardians that kept watch. I had grown up with Guardians watching over my family and they were just always there so I never really took any notice of what they did.

"Mr Lazar there you are" I turned my head from Nikolaus and looked at the Guardian that was now standing by my table.

"Yes here am, in the cafeteria. What a huge shock"

"You're requested in Headmistress Antakov's office" I let out a sigh and tried to think back on what I had done recently. To be honest I hadn't done anything wrong here, I stayed out of the party scene and kept to myself. No one really knew what was going on between Adrianna and I and it was better that way.

"Very well, lead the way" I stood up leaving my half eaten lunch on the table and followed the Guardian out of the cafeteria.

When I walked past Adrianna's table she looked at me and her emotions confused me. She wasn't panicked anymore she was calm, I really wondered what was going on.

It wasn't until I arrived at the Headmistress' office that I was really confused, both Ivashkov and the Queen were sitting in the office. It was weird normally when the Queen visited the academy they went all out for her, unless this wasn't a normal visit.

"What's going on?" I went over and took a seat while the Guardian turned and left.

No one said anything and the door opened again, I seriously wondered who else could be joining us. This meeting was already weird considering there was me, the headmistress, Ivashkov and the Queen.

"Jaime please don't tell me you have gotten into trouble again"

"Mum?" I turned around and found my mum standing there

"Excellent now that everyone is here we can begin. Lady Lazar we asked you to join us here today because we have some received information regarding one of our staff members"

"This is about my brother isn't it?" my mother spoke as she looked over at me. She told all of us here at the academy not to tell anyone what we were planning until we had enough facts to do anything.

"It is, we received word that one of our students is uncomfortable having him here at the academy. We have suspended him for the time being and requested he kept to his room, yes we know he entered the cafeteria during lunch but I will deal with that at another time"

"May I ask who the student is?" I don't know why my mother was playing dumb, it was obvious everyone in this room knew exactly who the student was.

"Their parents have been spoken to and I will speak to them after this meeting. The reason we asked Mr Lazar here is because of his unusual situation regarding his Spirit ability. I just finished talking to both Lord Ivashkov and Queen Vasilisa here about the various Spirit abilities and your son seems to have an interesting one. He can shift through other people's memories at will as well as read emotions"

"Jaime I've spoken to you about reading people's minds. It's an evasion of their privacy, what if you see stuff that you shouldn't?"

"Mum it's harder than you think to shut it out then you think. Sometimes they are concentrating so hard on the memory or thought it just comes at me like someone throwing a bucket of cold water"

"We understand it is wrong but there have been situations where Mr Lazar's ability has saved people's lives. Not long after he started here he told Lord Ivashkov that one of our students was thinking about attempting suicide and we were able to get them the help they needed but didn't want"

"I don't mean to interrupt but why did Adrian ask for me to secretively come to the academy, I had to arrive during the middle of the night and then hide out in his suite until we could get me here without anyone noticing" everyone looked over at the Queen, maybe she didn't have any idea what was going on.

"Because we may have a way to get Lord Voda out of here, knew information has come out since you first heard about the situation" Adrian turned and faced her

"Fill me in there" Ivashkov filled her in on everything he knew, the feelings coming off the Queen were disbelief. Mostly the disbelief was directed at me, she didn't believe my spirit abilities to read emotions or memories.

"I'm sorry but there has been no documented cases or people being able to read minds or emotions, why should I believe that he can. How do we know that he isn't working with Lord Voda to try and confuse Dri?" and there goes everyone's act of playing dumb. I think the Headmistress just realised we all knew who we were talking about then

"I can show you, I'm still learning how to control this but I can pass memories on to other spirit users. Normally I practice with Lord Ivashkov and pass on memories I have from Adrianna, I can pass on the memories I have of everything that happened and if you still don't believe I can read minds think of a memory not many people know about but also something you don't care if people find out"

"Very well" she was quiet for a few moments and I knew the memory popped up before she spoke. "Got it"

"During your education not only were you bonded to Guardian Hathaway you also had a raven bonded to you"

"Show me these memories of Dri then, everything you have to do with Lord Voda to be exact"

"I have to warn you they can be pretty bad. We are seeing them through Adrianna's eyes and what she is feeling, if you come out feeling anything to begin with they will most likely reflect what Adrianna felt after the situation. You have to push those aside and let your own come through" Queen Vasilisa nodded at me and I walked over and grabbed her hands.

We stood there in silence while I showed her everything memory I had of Adrianna's that was connected to Michael. When he first took her in in Melbourne, when he first hit her, when he first raped her, when he first fed off her, when he kicked her out, when he turned up at the academy and when he told her that he had indeed fed off her during their time together.

I pulled away from Vasilisa and went back to my seat, I could feel the emotions radiating off her and I was waiting until her own emotions took over.

"What did you show her?" I looked over at Ivashkov, he was concerned about the Queen. Normally in the face of the public she had a mask on that hid of worst emotions but right now she looked troubled.

"Everything, I never showed you bad emotions so you don't understand what she is going through. It will confuse her for a few moments"

"I want him gone and out of here now. If you can leave him locked up in his room I will organise some Guardians to come and collect him to bring him back to Court. Mr Lazar you should have come forward earlier"

"Do you really think Lord Ivashkov could handle seeing those memories because I didn't think so? We were holding out until summer break or if you came out here before then"

No one said anything after my comment, some people were curious over what I had shown the Queen while the Queen herself was disgusted at what she had seen.

**A/N: GwennyDee thank you for reviewing as always. Thanks and I like James as well, I tried to make him into an honest reliable guy. I figured if I didn't mention some of the more serious stuff it didn't find out then someone would have questioned it eventually. But yes, you will find out why Nikolaus was sent to the academy.**

**Gabergirl thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you liked that chapter. Yes I admit it was a little bit obvious about James finding out that Nikolaus was in love with Dri but it's everything else that James found out. As for the future and any possible feelings Dri may have towards Nikolaus, please keep reading to find out.**

**Jpitt thank you for reviewing, I do plan on James being a true friend to Dri. As for how it gets to the Queen, well that was this chapter. I don't plan on Adrian ever seeing the memories mainly because I don't think he would be able to cope with it, as for Michael deserving a fathers rage. Well we all know Adrian isn't exactly a physical guy but just wait and see what happens.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Adrianna POV

Lunch was weird, beyond weird. I had a good morning, in fact it had been a good couple of weeks. I barely saw any sign Michael around the academy. I hadn't seen him since he told me that he had fed me off me when I was living with him and having Emily over hear the conversation made me feel a bit optimistic about everything we were planning.

I was sitting there at my usual table surrounded by my usual group of friends. I had noticed James sitting off by himself and I felt bad for him. We had become friends, it may have been a weird friendship but it was still one none the less and I wanted him to be able to join my friends but the less time we spent together in public the easier for our plan.

Emily, Stefan, Carter and I were talking about what happened to Lindsay causing Belle and Jeremy to start laughing. I had just finished explaining that she had tripped over her own feet, taken down three training dummies and her pants on her way down. I did my usual sweep of the room when I noticed Michael had entered, I _almost_ forgot how much seeing him affected my mood. I no longer felt like laughing at the story and I watched where he walked. When he stopped in front of my table I felt panicked.

"What have you done?"

"You might have to be a bit more specific Lord Voda. I got caught for being drunk on the weekend, oh I also regularly get caught for sneaking out of my dorm, just today I got kicked out of my body guard theory class because I talked back to Guardian Petrova all because I didn't understand what she was talking about"

"I've been suspended from teaching and requested to stay in my room" I was curious, I just hoped someone found something and did something without telling me, if he was suspended then hopefully I didn't have to deal with him anymore.

"Oh my, then what are you doing out here? This doesn't look like your room, actually I take that back. I have no idea what your room looks like and I never want too" I narrowed my eyes at him, hoping more than anything he would just leave

"You did something and I'm going to find out what it was" he gave me one last glare before turning around and leaving the cafeteria before the Guardians could escort him out.

And speaking of people getting escorted out, I looked at James just in time to see him get escorted out of the cafeteria. I didn't think he would be in trouble, he avoids the parties like they are the plague.

"What was he going on about Dri?"

"No idea Emily but I have a feeling it will be good and my day just got a lot better"

"Come on Dri, I have to go back to my dorm to grab my books for Physiology. Stef we will see you in class" I didn't even get the chance to speak when she grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the cafeteria.

"Why did you pull me out of there Em?"

"Look I know you and Jeremy are up to something and I know it has to do with Michael, I know Stefan doesn't care either way. He wants you to be able to cope with this so he won't talk about it with you"

"I had nothing to do with Michael getting suspended. Why won't Stefan talk to me about this?"

"He's worried you're going to lose it, you haven't exactly been willingly to talk about this subject. I know every now and then we can talk about it but you won't with him and he's worried"

"Maybe I should talk to him. Come on go grab your book and I will wait down here"

"I don't actually need to grab my book, I needed to talk to you" I shook my head at her but looped my arm through hers and we began walking towards our Physiology class.

"How are things between you and Jeremy?"

"Weird, he's been acting overly affectionate lately"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No it's just weird, it's like all of a sudden he's pushing for us to have sex"

"Dri you've done numerous things with guys at parties, I understand you were raped but why have you been comfortable with other guys to do that but you can't have sex with Jeremy?"

"I was always in control Em, if I have sex with Jeremy I won't be in control"

"Have you spoken to him about this?"

"Nooooo" she raised an eyebrow at me and I knew I was going to get a lecture.

"Seriously Dri you have to talk Jeremy about this, we both know he has had sex before and we both know what he has given up to be with you. He really cares about you and you need to trust him, how can you trust him without talking to him about your biggest worry in your relationship with him"

"You don't think I've thought about this Em, I know I have to talk to him about this and we have spoken about sex before. He said he wouldn't push for until I was ready and I told him I would tell him when I was ready"

"That sounds like the basic are you ready for sex conversation people have. Have you told him why you won't have sex?"

"No but surely he has assumed it?"

"Adrianna!"

"Emily!" I mocked her with a grin on my face

"Why are you two yelling each other's names?" I heard his voice before we rounded the corner. Nikolaus was standing outside my Physiology classroom.

"Private conversation Nikolaus, why are you here?"

"You're requested in the Headmistresses' office, what did you do this time?" I shared a look with Emily before grinning at him

"It could be a number of things actually" he shook his head at me

"Come on now" I hugged Emily before following him down the hallway.

"Do you know what this is about?"

"I have no idea Dri, I was told you to collect you and then head to her office"

"I wonder if this has anything to do with Michael being suspended from teaching and then James got escorted out of the cafeteria"

"I was wondering what he said to you and I saw James get escorted out, I must say it was an interesting lunch period"

"No shit, it was an interesting morning as well. Did you hear what happened to Lindsay in combat class?" I turned my head and grinned at him

"I didn't have to hear about it, I saw it. Did you not notice me in your combat class?"

"Guess not, between getting my ass kicked and watching Lindsay make a fool of herself you were the furthest thing from my mind" I swear I saw a flicker of hurt flash through his eyes for a moment before he turned away and stared down the corridor.

"You have improved, you can last a lot longer than you would have previously. I'm sure you will catch up in no time"

"Obviously not quick enough"

"Then work harder" his voice was cold and he wasn't looking at me anymore, what had I said to make him so angry.

"I am but at least you're not beating the living shit out of me anymore" I shot him a glare before storming off down the corridor.

"Dri, I'm sorry" I could hear him further behind me but I didn't want to turn around. I was sick and tired of him always doing shit like this. One minute he would be warm and friendly with me and then the next he would be cold, calculating and harsh.

I continued towards the headmistress's office, I had been sent here only a couple of times. Normally when I was trouble I was sent straight to Alberta's office. When I entered her office I was shocked at the scene in front of me, both dad and Lissa were sitting in the corner in a middle of a hushed conversation and James was sitting next to his mother while she was fussing over him and the headmistress was talking to Alberta. I was now completely and utterly confused as to why I had be requested to come here.

"There you are Miss Ivashkov, where is Guardian Anastas?" Alberta gave me a small smile. Dad and Lissa looked up at the sound of my name and both gave me forced smiles that worried me.

"I dunno, I stormed off" I shrugged as I made my way over to where dad and Lissa were sitting gave them both hugs. I tried not to look over at James and his mother, technically I wasn't meant to know them.

"How are you doing sweet heart?" Lissa spoke when she pulled away

"Fine I guess. I am curious as to why I am here and also why you are here, don't tell me the perfect twins of yours are in trouble"

"Christian would love knowing that his personality rubbed on the boys but no, I'm here about you" I frowned at her but didn't get the chance to speak as Nikolaus had finally caught up. I didn't realise I was that far ahead of him.

He entered the room and walked past James not even acknowledging him, James looked at Nikolaus and then at me and raised an eyebrow. Either he just saw what happened between us in the hallway or he was asking something else completely. I ignored the raised eyebrow and looked over at Nikolaus but he didn't acknowledge me either and he has his guardian mask in place, that hurt, more than I thought it would.

"Glad you could join us Guardian Anastas. Now before we begin Miss Ivashkov how close are you with Guardian Anastas?" I stared at Alberta, if it wasn't for the fact that I was friends with James I would seriously think she was accusing us of an inappropriate relationship. "Let me rephrase that, do you trust Guardian Anastas? Have you gone to him in the past when there have problems, issues or concerns that have arise during your education here?" I nodded, I couldn't exactly speak. A minute ago I was seriously think she was suggesting an inappropriate relationship between the two of us.

"Excellent then we can start, Miss Ivashkov could you please tell us about your connection with Lord Voda" this time I stared at Headmistress Antakov. No one had asked me that aside from my friends, yes he would address me in front of people but no one ever over heard our conversation.

"He's a teacher here, he's spoken to me a couple of times. He's just like everyone else, he was curious as to why the dhampir girl who grew up in the human world decided to start at St Vladimir's for her freshman year, even the Lazar kid asked me the same thing" I said with a much confidence I could manage

"Dri..." I looked over at my dad, I didn't like the look on his face. "We all know the truth, please tell us the truth from your prospective" I couldn't help the tears that welled up in my eyes.

"He took me in when I got suspended from school and the family before him kicked me out. At the beginning he was fine but then the drinking started and so did the beatings. Not long after the sexual abuse started as well..."

I couldn't look at anyone while I explained everything, normally I just gave the run down but I figured explaining everything in front of Alberta, Headmistress Antakov and Lissa would help us get somewhere with my case. I continued to stare at my hands as I explained how Jason fitted into the situation and what happened once I learnt basic self defence. I explained how I hadn't heard from any of them until I started here and I got a message from Jason. I explained how/when/why I cut Jason out of my life, what happened during the shopping trip and lastly I told them everything that had happened once he turned up here.

I didn't realise I had started crying until I saw the tears drop off my face and land on my hand, I couldn't work out why I hadn't felt them run down my cheeks but I didn't care. When I finished everyone stayed silent, James had stood up and moved over to me and pulled me close to him to comfort me and I was grateful since no one else moved.

"I didn't think those two knew each other" I heard Alberta's voice but I didn't look up at her, at least I knew no one had caught on two us meeting in private and having hush conversations during math class.

"They do, in fact they've been meeting in private ever since Mr Lazar found out what happened. They were trying to work out what to do since Lord Voda kept telling Miss Ivashkov that no one would believe her word over his" this time I looked up, Nikolaus spoke and I had hoped his friendly demeanour would return but it didn't. The Guardian mask was still on and his voice was still cold.

"Don't stress about him, he's trying to keep the emotions out of his voice after hearing what you told us. All of them are, it's worse then you let on" James whispered in my ear and I was grateful, I leaned into him taking the comfort he was giving me.

The door opened and I was worried about who walked in this time. I had no idea who else would be joining us and the last person I wanted was Michael to join us. I turned my head and found Rose had entered the room, why hadn't I assumed she would be here since Lissa was. I pulled away from James' arms and threw myself at Rose. She didn't say anything, she just wrapped her arms defensively around me and stroked my head trying to soothing me.

"What is he doing in here?" I didn't know who spoke but I think it was a combination of both dad and Nikolaus I guess. I tried to pull away from Rose to see who entered the room but she held a tight grip on my arms almost hurting me. I saw Michael entered the room escorted by two Guardians and by the looks of them they were a part of the royal Guard by the red pins on their collars.

Rose didn't have to hold me back, the sight of him made me stop in my tracks. I had just told everyone what happened and now he was here, why were they giving him the chance to defend himself? He could throw everyone out the window and say I was lying. I looked around the room and noticed that Nikolaus, Rose and Alberta all had their Guardian mask on, dad might not be a Guardian but he still had a mask that hid his emotions and so did Lissa after growing up as a royal she had learnt how to hide her emotions like they all do and even being Queen helped improve the mask.

"Lord Voda we have just heard an interesting story from Miss Ivashkov here and we were wondering if we could hear your side of the story" Lissa and Nikolaus both stood up at the same time except Nikolaus made his way over to where I was still standing with Rose and stood beside me in case I tried to take off and Lissa stayed where she was addressing Michael.

The next thing that came out of his mouth was what finally set me off and it took both Rose and Nikolaus to hold me down.

**A/N: thank you to everyone who is reading this story as well as setting alerts for it. Just to inform everyone that I will not be posting every day since I no longer have the time, I go back to school in a week or two and I need to make sure I have everything organised and also make sure I am a few chapters ahead because I don't want you all to wait on me because I'm stuck writing a chapter. I will try to post at least once maybe twice a week and if you're really lucky you will get three updates.**

**Moulinness thank you for reviewing and I'm sorry to worry but as I mentioned above, I'm no longer posting every day. I understand how you don't like all the different POVs but as you said it is needed for the storyline and they aren't that common, some chapters it will only be a small part where as other will be the whole chapter but I'm trying to keep those as less frequent as possible. I'm glad you like James, he is special because of his Spirit ability so I tried to make him special to Dri even though there are moments in future chapters that she wishes they weren't friends.**

**Gabergirl I'm glad you liked the chapter, yes Rose does help out with a number of things but it becomes more and more frequent in future chapters.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Adrianna POV

"Please don't tell me she is still talking about this ridicules story about me looking after her for some short time when she was in Australia as well as abusing her" he said it so calm and rationally that if I didn't know any better I would have believed him. All the control I had shown around him to not beat him up went out the window then and there, luckily enough Rose and Nikolaus both had quick reflexes and they were able to stop me before I did anything stupid.

Both of them held a tight grip on my arms but Nikolaus was weird, he was rubbing soothing circles with his thumb in my arm. I looked over at James hoping he knew what was going on but he shook his head.

"Miss Ivashkov's story seems very compelling Lord Voda. Why should we believe you over her?" I had never been present when Lissa had address the public but seeing her now I knew why she was elected, the grace she had even in unnerving situations was unbelievable.

"I was never in Australia" that asshole, he was lying! I looked over at James and prayed he would say something, he had seen my memories. Surely he had recognised Michael in them, hell I even thought everyone else believed me. Why wasn't anyone saying anything?

"Calm down Dri, she is only collecting his side of the story" Nikolaus whispered in my ear as he was still rubbing soothing circles on my arm.

I relaxed in his grip, hoping someone would say something, anything.

"I know you took off after your graduation, where did you go?" thank you Lissa, please keep putting him in the corner.

"Yes I did take off after graduation, I went to California actually"

"Why did you go there and why did you take off?"

"You all remember the attack that happened just before my graduation. I lost my best friend in the attack, I couldn't handle it so I took off. I knew I would be somewhat safe in California since it's too sunny and warm for the Strigoi"

"Guardian Hathaway?" Lissa look our way. Rose let go of my arm and left me standing with Nikolaus, I could almost make a break for it and jump on Michael and beat the shit out of him. Nikolaus' grip wasn't as tight anymore he was too busy watching the scene around us.

"Don't even think about it" great of course Nikolaus knew me well enough to know what I was planning. His grip tightened again and I let out a sigh in defeat.

"I heard back from Ibrahim Mazur just a few hours ago, he found proof that Michael was in fact living in Melbourne. He is still searching for the proof that the two of them lived together"

"Excellent, that would be very useful except it isn't needed. I have seen enough of Miss Ivashkov's memories to recognise Lord Voda in them, Mr Lazar have you gathered anything from this meeting?"

"I have your majesty I can show you at a later date but now I need to go rest"

"Yes of course, Lady Lazar perhaps if you escort your son out so he can get some rest. I'm sure you will also find a Guardian not far from here" James' mother nodded at Lissa before putting an arm around James and taking him from the room.

Once James was gone from the room I stood there shocked, I had no idea what just happened. Did this all mean that Lissa trusted me and something was going to happen to Michael or was I not going to hear anything more and the rest was going to be taken care of in private? I looked over at Michael and the mask he had had on his face since entering the office had slipped and he looked annoyed.

"My Majesty, I do not mean to question your judgement but do you believe the story Miss Ivashkov is telling you?"

"I do, I have heard her story as well as seen her memories from the incidents. You will have to deal with the consequences" everyone was silent after this, I had heard that it was rare for the royals to be sentenced to prison for reasons. The worst thing a Moroi could commitment was killing a human or dhampir while feeding and being turned into a Strigoi and if they were caught by the Guardians they weren't taken to prison, they were killed on site.

"You fucking bitch!" Michael turned and faced me. "You think you can get away with this, I should have kept you and not sent you off to the next home. I should have had someone do away with Jason so you couldn't protect yourself anymore" he walked closer to me until he was standing in front of me. I could feel Nikoalus stiffen next to me, waiting one of us to do something.

"You should have stayed away, you honestly thought I would have kept this to myself?"

"I was hoping you would have, I was hoping you wouldn't remember any of it. I guess my compulsion wasn't as strong as I thought"

"Your compulsion never worked, I was too afraid to speak of it back then but being here among family gives me the strength I didn't have then" I was glad Nikolaus had been teaching me to throw punches with both my left and right. Ever since Rose walked away my left side had been free, so I threw a punch at him with my left hand and landed him square in the nose. I heard a crack and then saw the blood knowing I had broken his nose.

"Guardian Anastas please take Miss Ivashkov out of here. Guardian Hathaway if you escort _Mr_ Voda out of here with the other two Guardians and I will meet you all on the plane" I didn't get to hear anymore of the conversation or Lissa giving out more orders since Nikolaus had gripped both of my arms and directed me out of the room and building.

"Where are we going?"

"Just be quiet" he snapped at me while gripping my arms harder. I didn't like his response so I stopped walking and he walked into the back of me. "Damn it Dri just keep walking" but I didn't move so he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.

I'm just glad it was eighth period and everyone was in class and wasn't able to see me being carried across the senior campus over Nikolaus' shoulder. He kept carrying me all the way towards the gym, when we entered he placed me down on the mat before walking off and returning with the first aid kit and a towel.

"Give me your hand" I didn't like the way he was talking to me but I did it anyway. I lifted up my hand and it was then that I noticed the blood and it was a little swollen.

"What's going to happen now?" he didn't looked up from my hand, he was taking his time to clean the blood off when really I could have just walked into the bathroom and washed my hands.

"I'm going to clean this blood off and then I'm going to place you in front of the punching bag where you can take out all the anger you generated just then" I pulled my hand out of his causing him to look up at me.

"That's not what I meant you and you know it! And what the hell was with you attitude towards me during the meeting, being cold and uncaring. I thought you cared about me!"

"Clean your own goddamn hand then, I was trying to help" he stood up and went to leave. God damn I was sick of him always doing this. I got up and chased after him.

"I'm sick of you always doing this and half the time I don't know what I do wrong to make the personality flip with you! Even today you were quite happy to listen to me talk about what idiots some of my classmates were, I could even see the smirk on your face when I was talking about what happened to Lindsay and then all of a sudden you went cold and hateful towards me"

"I don't have to tell you anything Adrianna, if you didn't think I cared about you why would I tell you calm down in there?"

"Because it falls back on you if your student has no self control!" he didn't say anything, he just turned around and went to leave but I grabbed his wrist to pull him back towards me but he used it against me. Instead of me being in control somehow I ended up being pinned on the floor. He had his knees on either side of me and pinned my wrists above my head and his face was dangerously close to mine.

"That went out the window when you punched him, I was trying to stop you from doing something stupid so it couldn't be used against you at a later date. As for how I acted in there, if you didn't notice every other Guardian wasn't showing their emotions during your story"

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it. Why did your mood change so quickly in the corridor before we got into Headmistress Antakov's office?"

"It didn't, you really need to stop seeing things that aren't there" his face was still dangerously close to mine, if things were different I wouldn't hesitate to kiss him. But I had a boyfriend and we couldn't do anything like that since he was my teacher and he has made comments in the past that made me think he had no interest in me like that.

Neither of us had said anything and I wasn't able to move considering the position I was in and Nikolaus hadn't made any movement allowing me to move or even him to get up off me. There was a cough behind us and Nikolaus jumped off me so fast, I almost felt offended by the act.

Nikolaus POV

I don't know why these situations kept happening but once again I was annoyed at our situation and Dri was pinned to the ground underneath me except this time it was slightly different. I was straddling her lap and had her wrists pinned above her head and my face was dangerously close to hers, I could literally kiss her if I wanted too.

After telling her to stop seeing things that aren't there neither of said anything, I knew something was there but I couldn't tell her. I couldn't let her know what I felt for her. I heard the cough behind us and knew I was about to kick my ass kicked by whoever had followed us. I jumped off her and stepped back as fast as I could and I could have sworn I saw hurt flash through her eyes. I was a little relieved when I saw it was just Rose standing there though.

"See ya later Anastas" Dri threw me a glare on her way out. She never called me Anastas and it hurt knowing I had pissed her off that much.

"What did I just walk into? Please don't tell me she now has feelings for you and you two have just given into them?"

"Nope far from it. She's annoyed with my mood swings" I took a seat on the bench and put my head in my hands

"Ahhh" I could hear her walking closer and she took a seat beside me. "I remember the mood swings Dimitri had, they were a lot of fun"

"Yes well you two have your happy ending so at least it all worked out" I snapped at her as I stood up and made my way over to the punching bag.

"I was in there as well, I know what was said and I saw how it affected her. Don't take your frustration out on me when Dimitri and I are the only ones hiding your secret. We could just as easily tell Adrian" I turned and looked at her

"You two aren't the only ones, surely you heard about Mr Lazar and his Spirit abilities?" she nodded and then her eyes went wide as she realised what I was saying.

"But from what I saw when I entered those two are friends, why wouldn't he tell her?"

"She's happy with Jeremy and he doesn't want to ruin it even though he has a feeling that Jeremy is going to break her heart anyway. He gave me a little insight into the situation though"

"I wonder how many secrets that kid has in his head"

"A lot and he's kept nearly every single one of them. Speaking of secrets how did today come about?"

"Mr Lazar was hung over and frustrated one morning and accidently let it slip to Adrian that he knew of what happened as well as how Dri was struggling having Michael here. Apparently she told Adrian she was coping the best she could but when he let that slip Adrian couldn't take it anymore. He called Lissa asked her sneak out here one night and asked if my father could go to Australia but he didn't know Abe was already in Australia and to find the information we needed to make this a set deal. After you and Dri left Adrian kind of lost it, I have a feeling that he was holding it best together as he could while Dri was still in the room. He start yelling at Michael saying all sorts of things, the only reason it stopped was because the Guardians dragged Michael out of there and Lissa stayed behind to calm him down"

"Well he's gone and that is all that matters, hopefully Dri can get past this and focus back on her studies. I was wondering when Lord Ivashkov was going to react, every time I saw him he seemed under control. Even in that room I was struggling to listen to that story and then watching how she was struggling to stay under control when he was talking"

"Doubtful, it's April. She only has a couple months left of Junior year and if her senior year is anything like mine it will be filled with lots of drama. I know you seem to forget I was in there to"

"I for one don't want Strigoi attacking the academy"

"We won't the wards are now different, they get infused with Spirit. Strigoi can't touch them at all or even brush past them without feeling immense pain. They also can't be broken by accident of Moroi using magic on the boundaries"

"Do all the academies have Spirit infused wards?"

"No only the ones that have Spirit teachers. It's partly why Adrian became the Spirit teacher here, his kids are here. He wanted to be able to make the wards when needed, Lissa does them at Court"

"We need to find more Spirit users"

"We will, they're just rare it seems like there is one every few years and not all of them want to teach. The ones that do get sent the bigger or more prestige academies" neither of us said anything else and Hathaway turned and left as soon as I started hitting the punching bag.

* * *

**A/N: Moulinness thank you for reviewing. I'm sorry about leaving it as a cliff hanger and yes it is all coming together before it go off on the next direction.**

**gabergirl thank you for reviewing, I love Rose and thank you!**

**GwennyDee thank you for reviewing. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the conversation between James and Adrian about how Dri isn't coping with Michael around and too be honest, I wasn't too happy with that small part. I tried to write it a couple of different times but I still couldn't get it right. This chapter allowed me to explain Adrian's reaction a bit better, everything was pretty much already in place but James letting it slip that Dri was struggling and that he had also seen the memories allowed Adrian to put a plan in motion. Yes I love how Jeremy and Nikolaus fight, it comes back to Nikolaus being jealous and Jeremy being suspicious, remember how before Jeremy and Dri got together Jeremy made the comment about Nikolaus, he suspected something back then. Dri is more confused about how his moods flip so easily and because every time she questions it to Nikolaus he always says she is seeing things and she trusts him, she doesn't believe he would lie to her. I am sorry for the cliff hanger on the previous chapter, I'm not a big fan on writing big chapters and it was already getting big enough but I also knew you wouldn't be waiting long for it. James only told that to Dri because he knows about the feelings that Nikolaus has towards Dri and he suspects that there is something between but doesn't quite know either.  
**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Adrianna POV

It had been a few weeks since the truth about what happened with Michael all those years ago came out. Lissa put a rush on his trial to get him locked up to ease my mind, I had confined in dad about how I was scared he was going to get off so dad went to Lissa, once the final bits and pieces of evidence came in Lissa set a date for the trial.

That is where I had been the past few days, I had to appear at court and be there for his trial to give my statement about what happened in front of the rest of the council. I hated standing up there giving my story in front of all these strangers. I was grateful when it was over and it was declared that he would be sent to prison and have his Lord title removed.

We had just arrived back at St Vladimir's and I wanted to head back to my room and curl up in my bed after the all the stress I've felt over the last few days but dad had another plan. He asked me to follow him to his suite.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" I spoke as I sat down on the couch but he didn't say anything he just headed for another room before returning with an envelope. "What's this?"

"Read it" he said with a smile.

I was completely confused but I opened it anyway, it was a flight schedule with 8 seats. The flight was going to Melbourne.

"Again what's this?"

"We're going to Melbourne, all of us. Ellie, Nate and Matt, Shane and Nathan will of course come with us"

"But that's only 7 seats"

"I know, if you want to go off without the rest of us you will need someone there to look after you since you are still behind. They need to be a proper Guardian and not just one of your friends"

"Why are we going though?"

"Don't you remember when you turned 18 and you spent the whole day bugging me about going to Melbourne so you can claim your mother's will?"

"I do but you said we couldn't"

"I know but after the last few days you've had I figured you could do with some good news. I worked it out, I thought you would be happy about this"

"I am, I just can't believe you did this. Thank you" I leaned over and hugged him

"You're welcome Dri, if you need to find a Guardian I would suggest Anastas since he will have the holidays off and at least the two of you get along well enough"

"I'll think about it, thanks again dad" I kissed his cheek. I stood up and left his suite and headed back to my room.

The weekend was over and classes had started along with my classes with Nikolaus. Our morning had just finished and I was doing a cool down since we worked on conditioning instead of combat.

"So I need to ask a favour" Nikolaus raised an eyebrow at my question. "So dad has organised for my family plus Nathan and Shane to fly to Melbourne but if I want any chance to go off on my own I need to have my own Guardian since I'm still behind my classmates"

"What's the question?"

"Can you come with us?"

"You can't seriously expect me to pack up and go to Melbourne with you"

"It's only for a week at the most, I need to visit the lawyer and the bank to get access to the wills. Please I know they will do all the annoying tourist stuff I've seen a million times"

"Dri..."

"Please" I widened my eyes and begged at him, he hung his head.

"Let me think about it"

"At least it isn't a no"

"I will let you know, listen our afternoon session has to be cancelled. The guardians are having a meeting after eighth period"

"Alright, I will see you in the morning"

"Dri, promise me you won't pay attention the rumours that are going around at the moment?" I looked at him confused

"Why?"

"I heard some yesterday from some of the other Guardians, the rumours about Michael have started up again, just don't pay attention alright?"

"I'll try" not long after Lissa had left the academy with Michael rumours began floating around about him and I don't know how but someone had come up with the idea I had something to do with since it was also the same day I was requested in the headmistress' office and someone had overheard the conversation that took place between the two of us at that lunch period.

It was hard dealing with the rumours but they died down after a day or two since nothing had happened yet with Michael.

"Good, I'll see you in the morning" Nikolaus gave me a reassuring smile before turning around and leaving. I was still completely confused as to what he was going on about, after I left dad's yesterday afternoon I went straight to my room. I didn't even message any of my friends letting them know I had returned, so when I showed up for first period Emily squealed at the sight of my returning before running over and hugging me.

Carter had no idea why I left the academy for the few days I was gone but he was still glad to see my return, I could tell both Stefan and Emily were wanting to ask questions about the trial and I was grateful they didn't in front of the rest of the other novices.

I didn't get the chance to see Jeremy, Belle or James until lunch and when I walked in to the cafeteria with Emily since Stefan and Carter stayed behind to ask a question about their assignment, which was due tomorrow and for some strange reason they hadn't started yet, we found Belle and Jeremy sitting with each other at our usual table but James was sitting by himself.

We didn't have to hide our friendship any longer since Michael was now gone and I couldn't let one of my friends shit by themselves. I quickly grabbed some food and headed over to where James was sitting.

"You can't keep sitting alone" he obviously didn't hear me coming because I startled him

"I didn't know you were back"

"I got back yesterday, come sit with me and my friends. You're my friend too" I gave him a smile

"They won't care?"

"Well Jeremy knows and I doubt the rest will care. Carter and Belle don't really ask questions and Emily and Stefan know about Michael so when I tell them about what happened I can let them know how you helped"

"Alright, thank you" he smiled as he stood up and the two of us walked over to where my friends were sitting.

"Hey guys this is James I'm assuming you don't care if he joins us?" they either responded with a no or a shake of their head if they had food in their mouth. I took a seat beside be side Jeremy and Belle moved to the other side so James could sit beside me, a round of introductions were made

"How was your morning babe?" Jeremy leaned over and kissed my cheek. I began explaining to him what happened during classes while everyone else went back to their conversation before I came over with James but James stayed quiet.

"Just ask it" I looked up as James spoke, he was looking at Emily and she looked a little shocked.

"How did you know I wanted to ask something?" this time James looked over at me shocked

"I didn't tell them anything about you, I kept quiet James" I shrugged and went back to my lunch

"Ask your question Emily"

"Why did you get expelled?" everyone looked up this time. I didn't tell Jeremy about James leaving his old school so he was curious as well.

"You really didn't tell anyone"

"Nope, I figured it would be easier to continue the illusion of us not being friends"

"They all want to ask a billion questions now"

"Nah that's too many, maybe like a million" I smirked and he shook his head before turning back to Emily and answering her question. This then led to the rest of my friends asking all the questions he saw coming his way.

James answered all the questions with ease not really caring, in fact he had no problem answer any questions and once the questions about his Spirit ability came out everyone wanted him to prove it so he spent the rest of the lunch period shifting through everyone's memories , I was glad my friends accepted him so easily as well as trusting him enough to let him shift through their memories.

The bell rang and we all went off for our separate classes. When classes was over I headed to the library with Jeremy to work on our Moroi Culture 3 assignment and we found James already sitting in there, I smiled at him and cocked my head to indicate for him to follow us to our corner.

Turns out James did have classes with some of my friends in the afternoon and they were more than welcoming and inviting him to sit with them and I was glad. We continued sitting there in the corner working on our assignments.

"Oh my god!" I looked up at James and he looked absolutely shocked.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah fine, someone just walked in thinking about a memory and it was a complete shock to me that's all" I didn't believe him but let it go. I never asked what he saw for one it wasn't his business and two it certainly wasn't mine.

At some point I realised I needed a different book for one of the questions since it wasn't in one of the other 10 books we currently had sitting around us.

"Jer I'm going to look for another, I can't find the information I need in these" he didn't look up at me but I just figured he was focusing.

I got up and headed towards the right section and began looking for another book. At some point I lost focus on the books that I was basically walking up and down the aisle not even noticing that I had somehow ended up in the wrong section. I gave up looking and headed back to where I left the boys but before I got there I heard them in the middle of a conversation.

"You need to tell her" James was angry and he was rarely angry unless someone else's emotions were coming through.

"Why it's just going to hurt her?"

"She deserves to know what happened Jeremy"

"Why does it matter?"

"You need to tell her, she needs to hear it from you"

"Or what you will tell her?" I couldn't take it anymore, I turned the corner and I found the two of them standing up glaring at each other.

"What is going on here?"

"Nothing babe, did you find the book?"

"No I was losing focus, what were you two talking about?"

"Adrianna, Jeremy has something to tell you"

"James is being an idiot, I have nothing to tell you"

"You two were arguing about something, someone tell me now" I looked at Jeremy and his jaw was set while James looked sympathetic. Something had happened and neither of them were willing to tell me

"It needs to come from him and not me Adrianna"

"Jeremy please just tell me, he obviously knows something"

"We wouldn't even be in this situation if he had been shifting through my memories"

"You were practically shouting it at me! I had no other choice but to see it" great the two were glaring at each other again. I just hoped neither of them started yelling, the last thing we needed was to draw attention to ourselves and get kicked out.

"Please someone just tell me, I don't care who it is but Jer if James says I need to hear it from you then please tell me" I pleaded with him hoping he would tell me but it was then that his face softened. He looked trouble and now I was dreading what he was going to tell me.

"While you were away there was a party and I got drunk and had sex with Taylor Sinclair" I stood there shocked, I couldn't believe he cheated on me. When I could move I did the girliest thing I could think of, I slapped him, hard. I muttered a 'we're done' before picking up my bag and books and left the library in tears.

**A/N: gabergirl thank you for reviewing, yes Michael finally got convicted I couldn't keep having him torment Dri forever**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Adrianna POV

When I made it to the novice dorm I went through the lounge in hopes of both Emily and Stefan being in there. I didn't see them so I kept walking up to my room, after being in there for literally two seconds the door opened and the two of them came in behind me.

"What's wrong?" I didn't answer Emily's questions straight away. I went over and took a seat on my bed and waited until I calmed down enough to speak.

"Jeremy cheated on me" I finally managed to say, Emily gave Stefan a look before climbing into the bed next to me and Stefan stormed out of my room slamming the door behind him.

"Huh I wonder where he went" I was still staring at my door after Stefan left

"Dri, you told him Jeremy cheated on you. We are Stefan's best friends and he obviously loves us, don't you think he would go and confront Jeremy?"

"I don't want to think about Jeremy Em, he broke my heart"

"I know Dri" Emily put her arms around me and I cried against her.

Stefan didn't return that night and Emily spent the night in my room with me trying to cheer me up but it wasn't working.

When I woke up in the morning my face was all red and puffy and I was dreading turning up for my session with Nikolaus he would know something was wrong the minute he laid eyes on me and notice I had been crying. I set an alarm for Emily so she could wake up and go get ready for classes when she needed too before slipping out of my room and heading towards the gym.

When I made it to the gym I hesitated at the door, I still didn't want to go in but I let out a breath before opening the door and heading in. I found Nikolaus walking between the main floor and the storage room pulling out practise dummies.

"What's the plan for today?" I hoped he was distracted enough he wouldn't look my way

"Give me a sec to finish" he spoke as he went back to the storage room. I walked over to one of the bars and placed my bag on the ground near it and jumped up on the bar and began swinging around on it.

I didn't even realise he came out and when I did I stopped swinging and he was smirking at me.

"What?" I smiled at him

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing, I was bored waiting for you and since I don't know what we are doing today I didn't know if I should warm up or not" I noticed him look my way and he must have noticed my face but he didn't say anything, I figured the questions would come once we were finished.

"Alright then, come on I will explain" I jumped off the bar and followed him to the centre of the mats

"Point out where the heart is"

"Seriously?"

"Yep" he popped his p and then grinned at me. He knew I got annoyed when he popped his p's, it was one of my pet peeves and he caught on very quickly.

I walked over to the closet practise training dummy and placed my hand above the heart. "The sternum, ribs and cartilage are also in the way"

"What makes you think that was what I was going to next?"

"It was just a guess did I answer your question correctly?"

"Fine what is my next question then?" I frowned at him, I didn't even know what he was planning for today and he knew that. He smirked as he pulled out a silver stake and my eyes went wide at the sight of it causing him to laugh at me.

"Now I know what today is about I'm assuming the next question will be something along the lines of what it is, how dangerous they are excreta, excreta" I waved my hand

"Off you go then"

"You know I know this though"

"No I don't" I narrowed my eyes at him, he did know I knew this.

"Fine, silver stakes are made by Moroi charming the stake with four of the five elements. Stabbing a Strigoi in the heart with a silver stake will kill them and if a Moroi that is a Spirit user stabs them in the heart with a silver stake that has also been charmed with Spirit will turn them back to their original state. Even just cutting or grazing a Strigoi with the silver stake will cause them immense pain but it won't hurt a dhampir or a Moroi like it would them"

"Very good, except your missing one thing" I stared at him as I thought back on everything I just said. What was I missing, I thought I said everything that was important.

"No I think I said everything" he kept a straight face but I saw the humour in his eyes. "You're messing with me aren't you?"

"I am, here" he held out the stake and I took it from his him.

When it was in my hands I turned it over getting a good look at it, no one back at Court had let me even look at their stakes. They knew I liked causing trouble and figured it would be safer if I didn't get close to one. It felt cool and sleek in my hands and I noticed this one had what looked like Greek letters carved in the bottom of it but I didn't question it, I figured it meant something to him.

"It's Kostas, it was my brother's name" he spoke as I ran my thumb over the letters again. I looked up at him, I still hadn't heard the extent of what happened to his brother. The only thing I knew was that it was in an attack and he failed to protect his brother and that his brother was younger.

"What happens if you lose the stake?"

"Get a new one and have the letters engraved again, I've lost a few stakes Dri" I heard the door open behind me and I turned around curious as to who it could be, most people didn't disturb us in the morning but it was Jeremy.

"What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk to you Dri"

"Really you want to talk to me right now?" I swang the silver stake around, I noticed his eyes follow it.

"Thought you weren't allowed to use one of those yet" the rest of the junior class had began working with silver stakes a few weeks ago but Nikolaus didn't think I was ready for it yet so I had to sit out and watch or do something else.

"Nikolaus changed his mind this morning, he only just handed it over. Haven't been taught how to use it yet, you still want to talk?"

"No it's fine, I'll find you later?"

"Don't bother, I'll just see you in Moroi Culture"

"We can't talk at lunch?"

"I'd rather have an appetite" I knew I was being cold but everything was different between us now

"Fine...I really am sorry Dri" he turned his head and it was then I finally saw in the right light that he had a black eye.

"Wait..." he turned around. "Stefan did that didn't he?" all he did was nod before turning around leaving the gym.

I composed myself before I turned back around to face Nikolaus.

"What was that about?"

"Silly high school gossip, do you really want to know"

"That looked more like silly high school gossip Dri and considering Stefan gave him he black eye, he apologize for something and you pretty much threatened him with a silver stake"

"Fine he cheated on me alright? Do I get to use this on one of the dummies or are they just there to look good?" I didn't want to tell him but I knew he wouldn't let it drop if I didn't. I swang the stake around waiting for him to reply

"Dri..."

"Don't, I don't want to talk about it. Now either we talk about this session or I'm handing this back and leaving"

He scrutinized me for a few moments before speaking. "Yes you will be using it today, go for it. I will watch and see what needs to be improved"

We then spent the rest of the session with me stabbing the practise dummies while Nikolaus adjusted my hand positioning. I didn't realise it would this hard, I knew the dummies weren't made of straw but instead they were made of a substance that was meant to replicate a similar affect to stabbing a real Strigoi.

When the session was over I handed the stake over and stormed out of the gym grabbing my bag as I passed not allowing Nikolaus to ask any questions about what happened with Jeremy but before I could leave he grabbed my wrist and stopped me.

"Dri are you alright?"I didn't look up at him

"There's no point in lying"

"Dri..." he placed a hand under my chin and forced me to look at him

"Don't, you don't need to pretend to care about whether or not a boy broke my heart considering you beat me up and had a go at me because you thought boys were distracting me. So now you got your wish, I'm no longer distracted by boys" I snapped at him yanking my wrist out of his grip

"Dri you have to know I didn't mean to beat you up and yes there are times where you get distracted by boys but I certainly didn't want you to get past it like this"

"Just stop pretending to care!" I glared at him before turning around and storming out, I was just glad he didn't stop me this time

Word had gotten around about what happened between Jeremy and I, I had no idea as to who started telling everyone. For all I know it was the girl Jeremy had sex with but throughout my morning that were novices only, none of them said anything directly to me but I knew they were talking about what happened behind my back.

It wasn't until lunch began that I realised how bad word had spread, it was something all the Moroi were talking about and they didn't care if it was behind my back or in front of me. Hearing this made me lose my appetite, I didn't want anything to eat. I just sat at the table with my friends waiting for lunch period to finish and we could go off to class.

"Dri you can't seriously make him sit with them" I looked over at Belle and then looked around to what she was talking about. Jeremy was sitting at a table with some of the other royals and he looked miserable, he hated spending time with the royals it was why he spent his time with us to begin with. He didn't completely piss them off considering some day they would be stuck with each other.

"I'm not making him sit with them, I'm just not letting him sit here"

"We're here his friends too Dri"

"Then you go sit with him because I sure as hell don't want to sit with him"

"Dri I hate what he did to you don't get me wrong. None of us went to that party, we assumed he didn't either. But he made a mistake, why should we make him sit at a table that makes him miserable?"

"What so I should let him sit here with us and make myself miserable? Oh wait I'm already miserable" none of my friends say anything, I knew it must have been hard for them considering we were all friends before Jeremy and I got together but I was the one that got hurt and he was the one that fucked up so he could deal with it.

After having enough of them staring at me I stood up and left the cafeteria, I ended up stopping in the court yard near the novice dorm and I would give anything to make it so the sun was out, all I wanted to do was sit in sun and not worry about anything, believe my life hadn't been flipped on its head this year and it was only May, it really made me wonder what was going to happen when Senior year started up.

"Here" I turned my head and found James had taken a seat next to me with a plate of food.

"Why did you follow me?"

"I didn't actually, I came out from the Feeders and you were gone. I know you like to sit here, more often than not it's in the middle of the night and the sun is out"

"Why the food?"

"You're always hungry" he smirked as I took the plate from him.

"Thanks, am I wrong in not letting Jeremy sit with us?"

"No, he did the wrong thing. He shouldn't have done it, the rest of your friends..." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Sorry our friends understand that you are hurt but so is Jeremy, he understands he did the wrong thing. He just wants to be able to talk to you"

"I don't want to talk to him right now"

"I'm not saying you have to do it right now but you should"

"Why are you telling me to do this?"

"I know how you are feeling, about what Jeremy did, what everyone is saying and how you are worried it's affecting your friends as well. But it's because of your friends they're friends with Jeremy as well and you were good friends with Jeremy before the two of you dated. Are you seriously going to let that friendship go down the drain?"

"Just because you know what everyone is feeling and thinking doesn't mean you get to always be right" I frowned at him and he laughed at me.

"I'm just trying to help, I know if you lost Jeremy completely it would bother you but I also know you need time to process it Dri" that got me, he hadn't called me Dri since we became friends, it was always Adrianna

"Why did you start calling me Dri?"

"Why not, we're friends" he shrugged before laying back on the ground looking up at the stars

"We have been friends for a while now James, does this mean I can call you Jaime?" I grinned and he frowned, I knew only his mother could get away with calling him Jaime.

"Come on its time for class I will walk you to Physiology" we both stood up and headed towards the building that housed all the classrooms.

**A/N: Melbourne is currently in the middle of a bad thunder storm and it makes for good writing so I'm updating a couple of chapters tonight, I will place a note at the end of all the chapters I'm uploading just so you know what has been uploaded tonight.**

**Moulinness thank you for reviewing, Jeremy is a good guy he just made one mistake. Now don't take this as I'm pro cheating because I'm not but sometimes people can get past it. Dri will get her happy ending eventually, I'm just not planning on ending this story anytime soon.**

**Gabergirl thank you for always reviewing! I know I was shocked I wrote it but it helps cover a couple of chapters before the summer break sets in and that is when things get real interesting.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

Adrianna POV

It had been a few days since I found out Jeremy had cheated on me and I still hadn't spoken to him, I didn't want to either but I knew James was right and I had to at some point. It just after dinner and I was sitting in my room away from my friends, they were still annoyed at Jeremy for what he did but they weren't going to let it ruin their friendship. The fight between us was just that, Stefan punched him and Emily abused him for what he did and that was it. They didn't say another word about what happened and when they spent time together I spent time in my room away from Jeremy.

Even though Jeremy and I were in Moroi Culture 3 together and since it was assigned seating I had no choice but to sit next to him. Our first lesson after the breakup he tried to talk to me but I ignored him, only speaking to him when it was needed for class.

There was a knock at the door, I went and opened it shocked at finding Jeremy to on the other side.

"Please don't slam the door in my face" he spoke softly. I looked at him and noticed just how terrible he looked, in class I always avoided looking at him and this look on his was why. He looked troubled and hurt but he shouldn't, I should be the one that was hurt not him.

"Give me one good reason" he didn't say anything but pulled out a bag of lollies from behind his back, they weren't a generic bag either. It was mixed bag filled with all my favourites.

"I asked mum to get the bag made up and sent to me" he handed the bag over and I took it and then stepped aside so he could come in. I walked over and took a seat on my bed and he went to my desk, neither of us said anything.

"Why did you do it?" I finally said after not being able to take the silence any longer

"I was drunk and did something stupid"

"Why though? There must have been some reason behind it, what you gave up waiting for me to finally agree to have sex with you?"

"Not at all"

"Then why did you get drunk and have sex with Taylor? Hell why did you go to a party without our friends. Emily said none of them went to the party"

"I don't know Dri, why do we always go to parties? It was an accident and I didn't mean for it to happen"

"Don't you dare say it was an accident! because there was no way you accidently had sex with Taylor. Wait let me guess your clothes got wet so you both got naked and then you tripped and your dick ended up in her vagina? Wow imagine the luck"

"Don't be like that"

"Be like what, the heartbroken girl whose boyfriend cheated on them with some slut?"

"I really am sorry if it means anything"

"Were you planning on telling me if James hadn't of seen the memory and forced you to tell me?"

"I was, just not a day after you came home from Michael's trial. I was just going to wait a couple of days"

"So that's what the lollies were for, you were hoping it would soften the blow when you told me?"

"No of course not, I asked mum for them to give to you when you got back from the trial. I know how much lollies make everything better for you"

"I think you should leave" I had been trying so hard to keep the tears back, I wasn't going to let him see me cry. I didn't want him to know just how upset I was by this.

"Dri..." he came over and knelt by my bed so he was looking directly at me

"Please don't do this" my voice was breaking as I spoke

"I really am sorry, please don't let this ruin our friendship. Even though Emily and Stefan are your best friends, you were mine and I can't believe I did something to lose you" he placed his hands on my cheeks and leaned closer to me. Some tears broke through and he wiped them away with his thumbs.

"Exactly, you broke my heart Jer. I opened it up to you and trusted you with everything, all you did was break it and hand it back. I just need time and you need to stop pushing"

"I just hope we can be friends again one day" he had to wipe my tears away again before he softly kissed my forehead. At this point in time I couldn't handle being friends, it was bad enough having to sit next to him in class

Once he did that he stood up and headed for the door. "I mean it Dri, I really am sorry I hurt you this badly" he didn't smile, didn't say anything else but I looked at him once last time before he left and I could see how hurt he was over this as well and I swear I saw him tear up.

Once the door was shut I curled up in my bed and I didn't have to hold the tears back any longer I just let them come out as they pleased.

I wasn't alone for long when my door opened revealing Emily and Stefan. They both came and joined me on my bed and didn't say anything while I cried.

It had been a few days since I had my conversation with Jeremy and Emily and Stefan sat in my room while I cried, I hated that I did that but I was glad to know those two would always stay by my side. Jeremy had done what I requested and gave me space, he didn't even speak to me in Moroi Culture unless I spoke first.

It was lunch and I was trying to ignore the stares I was getting from everyone except James.

"What?" I gave up and looked up at them.

"It's Jeremy, he's miserable over there. You can sit next to him in class and ignore him why can't you let him sit with us and you ignore him" Belle spoke while looking over at him, I followed her eye line and I could tell he was miserable.

"Fine, go get him then" but no one moved. "Seriously I'm not going over there"

"He won't come over here unless you say its fine. He's only staying away because you said you needed time and space if it was possible in class he would move to another seat" this time it was Carter that spoke.

I almost wanted to bang my head on the table but I didn't because I said almost. I didn't want to get up and go over there. I didn't want to let everyone know I had forgiven what he did but I still cared about him enough that I didn't want him to miserable over there and I couldn't keep making my friends pick between us, this didn't involve them.

"Alright fine" I let out a sigh as I pulled out my phone.

_Jeremy you can sit with us, just wait till one of them comes and gets you._

"There I sent him a message, now one of you can go get him" I didn't care who went I just went back to my lunch. It was Belle that got up and James moved into her seat beside me.

Ever since James had been included in our group he had been spending his time with us, he said it helped with his Spirit having friends who didn't care if he was constantly reading their emotions. He explained that that was the one ability he couldn't completely shut off and they were fine with it, just as long as he kept quiet about what he felt from them and he did. We all understand the stress he was going through having so many secrets in his head.

"You're doing the right thing" James spoke softly

"I just wish it didn't hurt anymore, I hate going to Moroi Culture" I quickly wiped away the tear that snuck out before Jeremy sat down with Belle at the other end of the table. My phone beeped and it was a message from Jeremy.

_Thank you_

"So did you all hear that one of the senior novices failed their field experiment?" I didn't want to speak to Jeremy but I couldn't help it, I want to know who and why they failed field experiment.

It was rare when someone failed their field experiment and when they did it was kept quiet until the end of the year and normally they repeated senior year at a different academy, normally by choice. They didn't want the ridicule that came with having to repeat senior year, I know I didn't want it so I was trying my hardest to catch up enough to be allowed to be a part of senior field experience.

"Who was it?"

"Stephanie Collins" everyone at the table was silent, we all knew who she was. She was the novice at the top of the senior class, we all expected a ton of Moroi to flock to her in hopes of her being their Guardian. She would have been at the very bottom of the list to fail field experience.

"How?" James said what everyone was obviously thinking, he would have been the one who didn't care about the seniors. He hadn't been here that long and hadn't gotten to know many seniors.

"No idea, the only thing that got out was the fact that she failed. One of the royals' relative over heard the Guardians at Court talking about it and passed it on to them. They were talking about it yesterday"

After that I tuned out the conversation, it changed not long after from Stephanie to random things we normally talked about.

I was picking at my lunch when James whispered in my ear. "Stopped thinking about it" I turned to him and frowned.

There were times like right now that I hated he was able to read my emotions and the memories when I was concentrating hard enough about them, he said it was like I was shouting them at him. This time I had been thinking about my relationship with Jeremy and my friendship with Jeremy before we even started dating. We were extremely close and I still couldn't believe something happened that ruined it all, I had convinced myself we would be fine and the only reason we would stop dating was because the feelings disappeared and not something like this.

**A/N: Melbourne is currently in the middle of a bad thunder storm and it makes for good writing so I'm updating a couple of chapters tonight, I will place a note at the end of all the chapters I'm uploading just so you know what has been uploaded tonight.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Adrianna POV

Junior year was almost over, classes had finished and tomorrow the seniors will sit their practical exam in front of the whole school and then the day after they will be flying to court, then the day after that the rest of the students will be leaving and heading home for summer break.

It took a while but I had eventually started having conversations with Jeremy, it was only small talk during Moroi Culture and the first time I spoke to him about something that didn't relate to Moroi Culture he was shocked.

It had been a few weeks since our conversation in my room where he left me to breakdown in peace, well it was peaceful until Emily and Stefan joined me in silence.

"What are your plans for the summer break?" I spoke while we were working in silence in Moroi Culture on our last group assignment. He looked up at me in shock not expecting me to speak.

"Sorry what did you just say?"

"I said what are your plans for the summer break?"

"Mum and dad are taking us on a holiday but no idea where, they said they want it to be surprise"

"Wasn't the last surprise when you and your brother had to spend the summer break at your grandparents?"

"Don't remind me, what are your plans?"

"Dads taking us all to Melbourne, I'm finally getting the chance to get everything left in my mum and grandparents' wills"

"How are you feeling about that?" I shrugged at him, I'm okay with talking to him but I wasn't interesting in letting him know how I feel about everything.

After that we fell back into our slightly uncomfortable silence for the rest of the lesson.

Since that class we were able to join in each other's conversation with our friends or make small talk in class but we didn't exactly ask how each of us is doing. I could tell it bothered him but I couldn't let myself open up to him again.

I was heading into my last private session with Nikolaus for the year and he still hadn't told me if he was coming with us to Melbourne or not yet and I was getting annoyed. I honestly had no problem if I had to spend all my time with my family, I loved my family don't get me wrong and I could spend some of the time with Shane and Nathan learning from them about being Guardians and what not, also if there was the time and space available I could convince them to spar with me and give me tips.

"Nikolaus" I sang his named while flashing him an innocent looking smile

He raised an eyebrow at him and I smiled even bigger. "What do you want?"

"Well I leave the academy for Court in a couple of days and then not long after that we fly to Melbourne but the thing is I still don't know if you're coming with us"

"Why do you want me to come with you and your family again?"

"Well Shane is dads Guardian and Nathan is Ellie and my brothers sort of and dad won't let me go off on my own because I haven't caught up enough or he doesn't trust me. I know you won't essentially be working over the summer break because dad said so and he knows which Guardians and Moroi are staying here with the dhampirs and Moroi that don't have homes to go to. Dad suggested I ask you"

"That's why you need me to come with you, why do you want me to come with you? Surely you know other Guardians"

"I do know other Guardians expect they all have Moroi charges and can't take that much time off, normally they only get given a few days. I know if I asked Lissa and Christian enough times they will give Rose and Dimitri enough time off for the trip but Rose won't like being so far away from Lissa for that long. As for why I want you to come is because we get along and we can use it as a training exercise, I really want to catch up so I could participate in senior field experience and be able to graduate with my friends next year"

"Alright, come on, on the mat" I stared at him, I gave him an answer but he didn't give me mine

"But"

"No buts, on the mat" he cut me off and pointed towards the mats. I hung my head and walked over there to begin our session.

Our session started off easy enough we were throwing hits at each other blocking them, I just assumed it would stay this way. Just the two of us throwing punches and kicks and various other manoeuvres we had practise over the year. Nikolaus didn't see the point in teaching me anything new since I didn't have the time to keep practising them.

But at some point he changed it, his punches and kicks became harder when they connected and harder to block, it put me completely on the defensive. I didn't say anything but defended myself, he got a few good hits in but I was working extremely hard on blocking and dodging the attacks. Nikolaus was only able to pin me a couple of times, 8 months ago this would have been a completely different story.

"You did well today" Nikolaus while pinning me to the ground.

"Thanks, now let me up?" I frowned at him and he got up anyway and offered a hand out to me which I grabbed and he pulled me up.

"I mean it you did well, certainly better than what you would have done 8 months ago"

"Thanks why did you make me go on the defensive?"

"Wanted to see how much you had remember over the last few months, I haven't made you go on the defensive for a while"

"I see, well you didn't have to hit me in the shoulder so harder" I frowned at him while I rubbed my left shoulder. He punched me in the shoulder after a fake and then tripped me causing me to fall and land on the same shoulder. It hurt like hell

"I didn't mean it, here let me have a look at it" I went and over and sat on the ground in front of the bench where he was sitting.

He grabbed my shoulder and began moving it around to test it, some of the movements hurt but it was bearable. At some point he stopped moving my shoulder and started massaging my shoulder, I didn't realise how tight it was until he found the knots and man did that hurt when he pressed into them.

When the massage was finished he tested my shoulder again and it didn't hurt anywhere near as much.

"Who knew a massage would work that well" I turned around and smiled at him

"I'm not doing them all the time, I was feeling generous"

"That's mean you're also feeling generous enough to come to Melbourne with me?" I grinned at him

"Yes"

"Oh I get it, it's fine. I'll just bug Shane and Nathan for training"

"Dri..."

"No it's fine, I get it. You have family you probably want to see and Melbourne's not that great. It's not like it has an amazing city centre with some amazing beaches not far from the city and there isn't a lot to do it's not like we could do much anyway"

"Dri I said yes"

"I know I heard you, it's fine I get it...wait you actually said yes?" too be honest I wasn't listening. I half expected him to say no

"Yes I did, did you seriously not listen to me? If that's the case I might change my mind" he laughed at me while I frowned.

"Well it was more I expected you to say no so I wasn't listening because I didn't want to hear the no"

"After that session I know you have been listening to me and you have been learning. Spending time in Melbourne will give you another chance to learn out in the real world, there may be days that I will change it into learning experiences"

"That's fine I can deal with that as long as there are days we can have fun and not worry about any learning at all and we can forget we are a part of a world that forces us to protect Moroi and we can go off and pretend we are completely human?" he shook his head at me, I knew it wasn't him saying no. It was more him making fun of me and I could tell by the small smile on his face.

"How could I say no to an escape from all the concerns that comes with being a dhampir?" he smirked at me

"Hah you're funny, you love guarding Moroi" the smirk fell and the guardian mask snapped on to his face. I didn't know what I said wrong but I was a little worried

"I'll get the flight details from Adrian and meet you all at the airport" he then stood up and left the gym and leaving me completely and utterly confused about what the hell just happened.

I grabbed my bag and left the gym heading towards the Moroi dorm where James was staying, I knew he would have an idea as to what just happened with Nikolaus. He had hinted at seeing in his memories but wouldn't tell me anything.

"James" I sang as I opened his dorm room door. I was met by a glare but I just smiled at him as I went and sat on his bed.

"Nope I'm not telling you" I didn't even have to tell him what happened, I threw the memory at him by thinking about it as hard as I could. He hated when I did stuff like this, he knew when I wanted information I would think hard about a memory while near him.

"Why not? I have no idea what happened"

"Because it's not something I can tell you and he won't care. He hasn't told you for a reason"

"Does it have to do with his brother?"

"Sort of but you don't even know the extent to the attack, all you know is that his brother was killed by Strigoi"

"I know his name" I shrugged at James before collapsing on to his bed

"It's not enough to warrant me to tell you"

"Fine don't tell me" I pouted at him but he ignored me and went back to his homework

"Dri"

"Yes?" I smiled as he looked up

"I'm not telling you, he has to tell you"

"Does this explain all the weird moments between the two of us?"

"Nope" he grinned at me, now I was really confused.

"Why are you grinning?"

"Oh no, I'm not going to tell you that, I'm not telling you anything about what I've seen in Nikolaus' head"

"You're a shitty friend" I crossed my arms and glared at him but all he did was go back to his homework.

"Wait why are you doing homework? I thought classes were finished"

"They are, your dad gave me some readings for Spirit class. I'm spending the summer at Court so I can work with both him and Queen Vasilisa. They both want to try and learn how to read emotions and memories and I'm the only person they know that knows how to do it"

"You do know I'm going to Melbourne with dad for a few days"

"I do, it's also when the Queen will be busy with the new Guardians so she wouldn't have time anyway"

"Right new Guardians..." I rambled off causing him too look up at me, he raised an eyebrow while looking at me. I knew he was trying to work what was troubling me now, this was the one I was sure he didn't know. I didn't like focusing on it because I didn't want any of my friends to know I was at risk of not graduating with them next year.

"Why haven't you told any of us this?"

"Told you what? That I'm at risk of not graduating with my friends? I do not want the pity, I've been working my ass off to make sure that doesn't happen" I snapped at him as I got off his bed

"Dri" he tried to get me to come back and talk to him but I didn't, I just left his room thinking angry thoughts hoping he got them.

**A/N: Melbourne is currently in the middle of a bad thunder storm and it makes for good writing so I'm updating a couple of chapters tonight, I will place a note at the end of all the chapters I'm uploading just so you know what has been uploaded tonight.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Nikolaus POV

It had been a couple of days since I left Dri in the gym after our last session, I didn't mean to snap at her. I just couldn't help it after she said that I loved guarding Moroi.

The seniors had just finished their final practical exam and I had left straight away in hopes of avoiding Dri, I knew she was curious about what happened in the gym. I went straight towards the Guardian lounge in the novice dorm.

I wasn't there long before I got a call from the reception desk down stairs saying that someone was asking to see me, I almost didn't get up and go downstairs having a feeling it would be Dri waiting for me but when I got downstairs and the reception lady pointed behind me towards the couches I only saw James sitting there.

"James what are you doing in here, why did they ask me to come down here?"

"Can we talk somewhere people won't over hear us?" he stood up and I knew this couldn't be good. Ever since I found out what his Spirit abilities are he had sorted me out a couple of times and all of which was because of Dri, he had seen into my memories and unfortunately also seen what happened to my brother and what happened as to why I was sent here.

"Sure, come on we can go into one of the unused lounges" I turned around and led him to one of the lounges, a couple of them were unused due to the small number of novices.

When we made it to the lounge we both took a seat but neither of us said anything.

"James, I have no idea why you wanted to talk to me so why don't you start talking?"

"Right so Dri came straight to me after your last session. She's worried she said the wrong thing and now you're mad at her"

"That still doesn't explain why you are here"

"You need to tell her what happened, she doesn't understand how easily your moods can flip"

"Why? It's my choice to tell her and I don't want to tell her"

"Nikolaus she has no idea, she thinks you hate her"

"No she doesn't"

"You're right she doesn't but she hates it when you snap at her like that. She doesn't understand why she can say something to easily make you lose it, yes I understand there's times when your mood changes because of the whole you being in love with her thing"

"I don't have to tell her anything and it's not your place to tell her either"

"I'm not going to tell her but you need too, there is going to be a point where she completely loses it at you because she is sick of your mood swings. I've already seen some of them memories when she chases you down because of the stupid hot and cold game you play with her"

"Just drop it James, I'm not going to tell her. I don't need to tell her anything"

"What about the fact you might not be coming back next year? Your three years are up aren't they?"

"If it comes to that then I will tell her but it doesn't mean you should go telling her stuff that not even you should know" I snapped at him and then turned and left the room. I really hated James' Spirit ability.

Yes guardians that were sent to academies for guard work only had to stay for a minimum of three years before they were allowed back out into the field protecting Moroi and my three years were up. I hadn't heard anything about not coming back next year and I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave or stay yet.

It was finally the day to leave for Melbourne, I headed to the airport to meet Dri and the rest of them at the gate. I hadn't spoken to Dri about the flight since I told her I would go, I just hoped she still thought I would be and I didn't go through all the effort to get here and find out I no longer have a seat on the plane.

I walked towards the gate and I saw Dri sitting on one of the chairs on her phone while one of her brothers was trying to read over her shoulder, she kept pulling away but he would just lean closer. At one point Dri snapped her head around so her face was directly in front of his and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"But Dri" I heard him whine, I noticed her face soften before she put her phone down and she reached out to tickle him.

It was stuff like this that made me really miss my brother, I didn't get to grow up and deal with him always annoying me or always wanting to hang out with me and my friends. I just hoped Dri didn't take it all for granted because in a second it could all be taken away from her.

Her brother noticed me watching them from the distance and he whispered something in her ear, her face instantly hardened as she looked around but when she spotted me it softened and she gave me a small smile, I gave her one back and headed over to where they were sitting.

"I'm glad you still decided to come, this is my brother Nate. I would introduce you to Matt and Ellie but they went off with dad and Shane"

"Nice to meet you Nate" I gave him a smile

"Now can I read your messages?" he completely ignored me and turned back to Dri

"Nope, why don't you go bug Nathan?"

"I'd rather bug you"

"You won't be bugging me in 2 hours when I'm still tickling you" Dri narrowed her eyes at him and Nate stared at her before he got off his seat and left.

"Where is he going?" I took his empty seat and placed my bag on the floor

"To find Nathan, more likely Nathan will find him first though"

"Fair enough, listen I'm sorry for what happened in our last session" I noticed her eyes harden as she turned back to her phone ignoring me.

I couldn't take her ignoring me so I grabbed her phone off her, it reminded me that next year I would have to try and improve her reflexes. Well that was if I went back, I still hadn't heard anything yet.

"Hey give that back" she turned and glared at me, I really hated it when she was angry at me.

"No you're going to talk to me instead of ignore me"

"Why you ignore me all the time especially when I want to talk about something? What about our last training session, I said something that obviously made you snap but you didn't stay long enough to explain it to me or the times where I chased you down to find out why you were acting weird but all you did was pin me and tell me I was seeing things. I'm sick of it, now give me my phone back" before I could even react Dri had snatched her phone out my hands, maybe I didn't need to work on her reflexes.

I didn't know what to say, I know why I was telling her she was seeing things because it would mean she wouldn't piece everything together and realise what I felt for her.

"Then talk to me now, why did your mood all of a sudden change and what did I say?" she obviously knew I was silent for a reason and she decided to speak first.

"You said that I loved guarding Moroi" that confused her and as always when she was confused she looked adorable. She would scrunch her nose and forehead, she did it all the time when she was going over her theory work in our sessions and I instantly knew she was confused and would have to ask her what she wasn't understanding.

"How did that make you angry?"

"It's because I don't love it Dri, yes there are some Guardians out there that love it because they are extremely close with their Moroi, look at Hathaway and Belikov they are both close with Lord Ozera and Queen Vasilisa. Even your dad is close with Shane and Nathan but there are Guardians who don't get along with their Moroi charge, we do it because we have to"

"Have you ever thought about running away?"

"I have but I wouldn't because it means I would lose contact with my mother"

"What happened with your brother?"

"Nikolaus it's good to see you again" I turned and found Adrian standing there with who I was assuming to be Shane, Ellie and Matt.

"You too Adrian" I stood up and shook his hand.

"So this is my wife Ellie and my eldest son Matt and my Guardian Shane"

"Nice to meet you all"

We finally bordered the plane and Dri and I were seated a couple of rows back from the rest of her family, I didn't know why we were seated away from them but either way it gave us a chance to talk without them over hearing the conversation. I leaned over and pulled Dri's headphones out and she got shot me a glare but I knew she wasn't truly annoyed.

"What do you want?"

"I thought you wanted to know what happened to my brother?"

"I am but you haven't told me before now why would it change now?"

"Because I'm willing to tell you"

I told her about my brother and the attack, about how mum took us on a holiday and she asked me to watch him while she fought the Strigoi that attacked us. She felt bad for happened and even though she told me I shouldn't blame myself she could tell I did blame myself for my brother getting killed.

"How come you blame yourself for your brother though?"

"Because I was meant to be watching him and he was killed on my watch"

"Nikolaus you were 10, there was no way you could have taken on a Strigoi"

"You know he would be the same age as you if he was still alive?"

"No because you've never told me about your brother, I was shocked when you told me his name was Kostas"

"You shouldn't take your brothers for granted, I was watching Nate bug you about your phone"

"I don't take my brothers for granted, I grew up in and out of foster homes with no real family and then dad turned up and I was given two younger brothers. Yes they annoy the crap out of me and Nate always wants to read my messages but I wouldn't change it for anything. I love my brothers"

"Aw Dri loves us"

"Isn't she cute?" I looked around Dri and noticed both Matt and Nate standing there

"You two are dead" they looked shocked before they took off back down the plane. I smirked at her when she looked back at me

"Don't start on this again"

"I won't there is something else I'm willing to tell you though"

"What's that?"

"Why I was sent to the academy in the first place"

"I am curious, I honestly didn't know why we rotated through guards like that. I just assumed it was a weird thing and they all left at once"

"Nope, it's only the teachers that stay long term. The rest of them, the ones that do most of the Guard work rotate in and out. Not even all Guardians that know about it, if they didn't know anyone that got sent to an academy or went themselves it will go unnoticed to them"

"So why did you get sent to St Vladimir's, James said something about Guardians who have their Moroi killed"

"Actually the Moroi I was assigned to after graduation is still alive, they got new Guardians when I was sent here"

"Then what happened?"

"The Moroi I got placed with were related to the same Moroi my mother guards, it was just luck that I got that and I was able to see my mother regularly. Both families were on a holiday together, my mother's Moroi family had a second Guardian. So there were three Guardians for all the Moroi, my mother's partner also had their son along. The Moroi didn't care that their child came along for whatever reason, I didn't ask. But while we were on the holiday we were attacked, we jumped into action and fought the Strigoi but somewhere along the way the older Moroi placed the dhampir child in front of them as a barrier and the Strigoi was able to grab the child. The child was killed because the Moroi were heartless enough to push a child in front of them as a barrier"

"I still don't see how that got you placed here though"

"Well you see the dhampir child was only 5 and I lost it at the Moroi if it wasn't for my mother and the other distraught Guardian I would have beaten the Moroi up" I had shocked her, I could tell by her face. She had no idea what to say

"That's why you rarely say they come first. I hear it from the novices or the other Guardians at Court or St Vladimir's"

"Exactly, yes I understand we have to protect the Moroi they are the reason behind our race existing but there are times when we have to put ourselves first"

"I never understood why they come first, it doesn't feel right with me" was all she said before she turned back to her movie. I didn't push her anymore, this wasn't exactly I wanted to keep talking about either way.

**A/N: Melbourne is currently in the middle of a bad thunder storm and it makes for good writing so I'm updating a couple of chapters tonight, I will place a note at the end of all the chapters I'm uploading just so you know what has been uploaded tonight.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Adrianna POV

We finally arrived in Melbourne and the first day all we did was go and organise to have a meeting with the lawyer and banker about various things. They said I couldn't just walk in and try and claim everything, I had to prove who I was and then set a meeting for a few days time once they confirm my identity.

I was currently sitting in my room laying on my bed staring at the ceiling, all Nikolaus said last night was that he had something planned for today and I wasn't going to be spending it with the rest of my family, not that it bothered me either way. I heard my door opened and I looked up to find Nikolaus there smirking at me.

"Why are you smirking at me?"

"You I seriously did not expect to come in here and find you on your bed staring at the ceiling, I expected you to be out there bugging me about today's plan"

"You're right actually, maybe I will start bugging you" I grinned at him and he shook his head before turning and leaving. I followed him out of my room and around the apartment constantly asking over and over "what are we doing?"

"Damn it Dri, I wasn't serious" he snapped at me while turning around and grabbing my shoulders

"Then why won't you tell me what we're doing? My family has already left and Nathan is asleep in your room"

"Because I'm waiting to hear from Shane, we're going to be following them all day. Shane is the only one that knows what we will be doing, it will be similar to what we did on the shopping trip"

"So another fake relationship, does dad know?"

"I never said a fake relationship, if your dad decides that then we will but I'm not going to do anything that will annoy Adrian. He is my way home"

"Ooo maybe I should tell dad you did something and then you will be stuck here" I grinned at him but he narrowed his eyes at me.

"You wouldn't"

"Want to make a bet?"

"No way, I'm not getting into a bet with you. Come on its time to go" he gave me a small smile as we headed out of the apartment.

We spent the morning walking a good distance from my family, I didn't realise how hard it would be to follow someone in a highly populated area. I had almost lost them a couple of times but since dad and Ellie were taller than the average human it was easier to spot them.

We visited many different areas of Melbourne, we had visited the Myer windows in Burke street, Federation Square and did a quick tour of the exhibition that was currently showing, walked along South Bank and now we were spending the afternoon at Luna Park so Matt and Nate could have some fun on the rides that were there.

"You really don't want to go on any rides?" Nikolaus spoke as we were sitting on one of the side benches that gave a good view of the Pirate Boat ride that my brothers were on.

"I thought I'm meant to be watching them all day?" I looked back over to the ride where I could see dad and Ellie sitting in the shade waiting for the boys and Shane a back a bit further enjoying the little sun that was coming through today.

"You've done really well all day, you're allowed to have a bit of fun and it's not like we're alone. Shane can watch them" my smile grew at the idea of doing really well but then I remembered where I was, Luna Park wasn't all that fun anymore

"I used to come here all the time. The rides are all the same as they were all those years ago, the only difference is the name. Something happens on a ride and then they shut it down pretend to make changes and reopen it with a new name"

"Is that so, what about that one?" Nikolaus pointed at the smaller rollercoaster down a bit further

"It's been called Mighty Mouse, Dragon Catcher, Beastly Eight and now it is currently called Xcellerator"

"Alright I get it, this place sucks but it seems like Matt and Nate are enjoying it"

"Yeah and I enjoyed it the first and second maybe third time I came here, now it's boring. I would have preferred being at the Aquarium and at least the Aquarium is in doors, there might not be that much sun but surely they are starting to get bothered by it?"

"Come on it can't be that bad, you're doing really well. Shane says only Adrian has noticed you..."

"That's because he read our auras" I noticed Nikolaus stiffen next to me but all I did was raise an eyebrow at him.

"Come on you seriously think this has been a bad day?"

"Come on even you would have to notice that everything we are doing is all tourist stuff, can we go off on our own" I had turned on the bench so I was looking at him and my face paled at the sight of the person standing behind him further back, it was Jason. Jason was here at Luna Park.

"Dri what's wrong?" concern filled his face as he watched me but he didn't turn around and notice Jason.

"Jason's here" I whispered as I grabbed his hand, at this point in time I didn't care if dad saw us or not. The last time I saw Jason he was told I was dating Nikolaus and I wanted it to stay that way.

Nikolaus turned his head and looked to where I was still watching Jason, as if he almost knew people were watching him he turned and noticed both of us watching him. He turned back and talked to someone before coming towards us, I couldn't cope. The last time I saw him he had gotten the jump on me and beaten me up.

Nikolaus noticed me sitting there nervously, he let go of my hand and put it around my waist and leaned closer to me. "It will be alright, I'm not going to let him hurt you this time" he whispered in my ear. All I could think was how dad turning up out of nowhere right now would make things even worse.

"Aid it's nice to see you again, I thought you hated this place"

"I would like to say the same except the last time I saw you, you bet me up" something flicked through his eyes as he tried to recall the memory, it was familiar. I looked over at Nikolaus.

"No I saw it too, it's compulsion" he whispered, great so Michael had gotten to him before he left Melbourne, I wonder how much Jason did and didn't remember.

"Hi, I'm Jason it's nice to meet you" Jason looked at Nikolaus and struck his hand out for him to shake it

"You've met Nikolaus before, when we ran into each other at that shopping centre in Montana in January?"

"Sorry I don't remember seeing you there Aid" I was completely confused, why would Michael compel Jason to forget he saw me. What had happened once Jason was back in Melbourne?

"It's fine, honestly" I shrugged, even if it was a big deal Jason wouldn't know why.

"So what are you doing here? I thought you hated this place Aid"

"I do actually, my brothers wanted to come. Last I saw they were on the Pirate boat ride actually, my dad and step mum are here as well"

"Oh you can't forget your cousin babe" I shot Nikolaus a look but went along with the lie

"Oh right, how could I forget Shane" great more lies I had to try and remember.

"That's great a nice family outing, it's what you always wanted. How have you been anyway?"

"Yeah good just getting through school you know how it is, what about you?"

"Yeah good"

"So how come you're here, I know you hate this place as well"

"Mum and dad asked me to babysit Cindy"

"Wait Cindy's here, the time I saw her she was just a baby" Cindy was one year old when I was living with Michael and she was the cutest baby

"Yeah she adores my mate Clarke, he is currently trying to win her one of the giant unicorns at the clown game"

"Oh I think I remember Clarke, wasn't he the one who slept with your girlfriend?"

"Different Clarke, I met this one at Uni"

"Ahh okay then" I looked over at Nikolaus and he gave me a small smile but it quickly faded.

"Dri what are you doing here?" oh crap that was Nate's voice, I was now busted for having to follow them around all day and I was worried it was going to get blown out in front of Jason.

"You're right, sorry Nate. I know I was meant to meet you all by the Break Dance ride but I just got caught up catching up with Jason. We used to live in the same building years ago. Jason this is my brother Nate" Nate gave Jason a look over and realised he must have been human.

"Of course, come on dad is wondering where you are"

"Of course he would, he doesn't trust that I will be alright on my own for five minutes. Jason it was nice to see you again" I stood up and grabbed Nikolaus' hand and walked over to Nate.

"Thank you for not blowing it" I whispered in his ear but all he did was shoot me a look before looking at where I was still holding Nikolaus' hand.

I instantly dropped his hand and placed both of my hands in the pockets of my jumper and continued to follow Nate to where he had left everyone, too be honest I was surprised he was allowed to go off on his own.

When we made it to where the rest of them were Ellie looked happy to me and Shane was confused about what happened but I couldn't see dad or Matt.

"Where are Matt and dad?"

"Somewhere, I'm more curious as to why you both are here, why I saw you talking to a human and why you two were holding hands"

"Nate you're 10, why should I tell you?"

"I might not be 18 Dri but I do know what holding hands means"

"No you don't, you hold Ellie's hand"

"That's not the point, she's my mum. You were holding his hand" Nate pointed at Nikolaus and then gave him a glare, I almost wanted to laugh at this. Nate was trying to be the protective older brother but it was too cute.

"Who was holding hands?" crap, that was dad's voice. I didn't know how I was going to explain, I looked beside me at Nikolaus but he had his Guardian mask up, guess I had no help from him.

"Dri and Nikolaus were holding hands but I thought they were going off on their own?" I looked over at dad and Matt and great now both Nate and Matt were giving Nikolaus glares. Who would have thought my two _younger_ brothers were trying to play the protective brother cards.

"Dri had a training exercise today, she was meant to follow us around all day and not get caught by us. How did you get caught?"

"Jason's here and he spotted us, we were talking when Nate walked over. Speaking of which, how come Nate came over by himself?" I looked over at Shane knowing it was his fault.

"He told me he spotted you, so I watched him walk over to you. I didn't think anything of the human that was talking to you, I just assumed it was someone you knew when you used to live here, I didn't think it would be Jason"

"Did Jason do or say anything Dri?" dad looked worried, he knew what happened last time I saw Jason and it was the last thing he wanted to happen again.

"No, we think he was compelled to forget what happened. I don't actually know what he does and doesn't remember"

"What makes you think that?"

"I made mention to him beating me up last time I saw him and that confused look flickered through his eyes"

"Then there isn't much we can do about that, does he still assume you two are dating?"

"WHAT!" Nate shouted

"DRI AND HIM?" Matt shouted at the same as Nate

"He didn't even remember meeting him but before he said that we were acting like a couple so I think so, he didn't question anything. Oh and he thinks Shane is our cousin" we both ignored Matt and Nate and Shane laughed at being our cousin.

"Very well, there's nothing we can do now. He knows we're here, if we run into him again we will deal with it but for now maybe we should leave and go somewhere else?"

"The Aquarium is in doors?"

"That sounds perfect" Ellie had a small smile on her face, I knew she wasn't bothered but I think she was excited about going, she was a water user and being surrounded by that much water would be good for her.

**A/N: gabergirl thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you are enjoying it that much! **

**GwennyDee thank you for reviewing as well, ****Chapter 35**** I hope you enjoyed your holiday and I'm glad to hear you were excited to come back and read my story. I couldn't let everything with Michael finish up and not let Dri punch him since it was what she wanted to since he arrived at the academy. I like putting in the small things that show Nikolaus' feelings for Dri but also showing how oblivious she is to it all. Don't worry I want them to kiss as well but everything has a time and a place don't worry. I know Abe is a star and of course he can, it was why I sent him to Melbourne instead of someone else.**

**Chapter 36**** originally I wasn't going to have James accepted by Dri's friends but I figured having her fight with Jeremy and then dealing with that would have been too much so I ditched that idea but I do have other plans further down the line that do involve James and the rest of the friends. **

**Chapter 37**** I liked the idea of having that mysterious background, it made things that bit more interesting between him and Dri because his moods flip for either his past or his feelings. James' abilities are handy in this story.**

**Chapter 38**** lollies fix everything, it's what I believe. It might also be because I might be the only girl in entire existence that is allergic to chocolate, it sucks I know.**

**Chapter 39**** I can assure you that his surprise holiday won't take him to Melbourne but you will find out in a couple of chapters. Too be honest when I wrote that bit I did not even think about Nikolaus fishing for comments like that, maybe I'm becoming oblivious like Dri. Dri knows that James knows something aside from what happened to his brother or how he ended up at the academy and it bugs her that she doesn't know, so she tries to bug him about it.**

**Chapter 40**** as I've said before, James has suspected that there is something there but he doesn't have all the information. He secretly wants them to end up together so he's trying to help, to make sure they don't fall apart. I know it is terrible but I wanted a similar situation as to what happened to his brother for him to snap because I didn't want the typical, hey my Moroi charge was killed and here I am. No he did not tell her, I have plans for that conversation later on so just wait it out.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

Adrianna POV

"Don't disturb your sister, she had a late night let her sleep" the sound of dads voice yelling at either Nate or Matt woke me up.

I had no idea how late late was, I don't even remember coming home. My head was throbbing and I was hung over, dad would kill me when he realises how much I had to drink last night. Unless he already knew, god why couldn't I remember anything from last night?

I rolled over in attempts to get out of bed and grab a glass of water but the arm around my waist tightened its grip and pulled me back to where I was...wait a minute an arm around my waist. I was slightly worried about seeing a stranger in the bed next to me, dad would definitely lose his mind if he found out I bought home a human stranger.

It was then I took in the scene of my bedroom that I could see, I could see clothes thrown all over the place. It was then I took in the bed, I was naked. I knew this was just getting worse and worse, I'm going to kill Nikolaus for letting me drink so much. Wait I was with Nikolaus last night, he wouldn't have let me bring home a stranger...oh god. It was then I finally rolled over and took a look at the person who was pinning me down and preventing me from leaving and I saw Nikolaus lying there still asleep.

I was in bed hung over, naked with Nikolaus and he was naked too and I knew he was hot but his body, it was perfect...no I can't think like this. He is a teacher my teacher at that. I groaned lying back on the bed, what the hell happened last night?

_The night before_

"I said no Dri" dad turned away from me walked out of the living room, I followed him into the kitchen.

"Why? Why can't I go out to a club?"

"Because I'm not letting you go alone, what if something happens?" he had a point, it was already dark. There might not be as many Strigoi attacks here but they still happened.

"What if I get Nikolaus to come with me? You agreed to let him come on this trip and ever since we ran into Jason yesterday both you and Ellie agreed it was best to make it seem like he was boyfriend since we were getting strange looks from people, having Shane and Nathan follow us doesn't really help either."

"If you can get him to agree to go with you then I have no problem saying yes" I couldn't help the grin on my face when he said I could go if I convinced Nikolaus to come with me.

"Thanks dad" I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before leaving the kitchen in search of Nikolaus. I ended up finding him in the room he was sharing with Shane and Nathan, the biggest apartment dad could find only had 4 bedrooms so the three Guardians shared and since one of them was always awake during the night it didn't really matter that three of them were sharing the one room.

"There you are Nikolaus, I have been looking for you" I flashed him a smile and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to come out with me tonight, I want to go out clubbing but dad won't let me go unless you come with me"

"Looks like you will be missing out, I'm not going" I frowned at him but then I had an idea.

I walked over to him and placed a hand on his arm, widen my eyes and slightly pouted at him. "Please..." I dragged it out slightly hoping to soften him up. He let out a sigh before he ran a hand through his hair.

"Fine I will go with you" I let out a squeal and threw my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. I realised what I did and pulled away from him.

"Sorry about that, but thanks" I flashed him a smile before I left and headed towards my room to get ready.

After showering and blow drying my hair I styled it so it was in loose curls down my back and I slipped on a tight fitting red dress and put on some make up. When I left my room dad was who I found first.

"What are you wearing?"

"It's a dress dad, haven't you seen one of them before?" I smirked at him

"No I have, normally they are longer then that!"

"I can make it shorter"

"Don't even think about it" dad warned me, I knew I was pushing it. He had agreed to let me go out if I convinced Nikolaus to come with me, dad also knew Nikolaus wouldn't let anything happen to me.

"Dri are you ready yet?" I heard Nikolaus' voice before he came around the corner and when he did he stopped. I noticed his eyes look me over, I smirked at him holding back the comment I really wanted to say but not in front of dad. That might be pushing it too far, way too far to be exact.

"Yeah I'm ready let's go, bye dad" I kissed dad on the cheek and grabbed my purse making my way past Nikolaus.

When we were out of the apartment I walked in front of him and turned around so I was walking backwards facing him, I grinned at him.

"So do you like something you see, I saw you checking me out when you came around the corner"

"No idea what you're talking about, where are we going?" I couldn't help but notice that he didn't even look at me as he spoke, he was too busy looking around at the night life in Melbourne.

"It's just around the corner" I turned back around and fell into step with him

We finally got led into the club and Nikolaus looked a little out of place in here, I gave him a small smile and grabbed his hand so I wouldn't lose him as I weaved through all the people heading towards the bar so we could get some drinks.

"I'm not drinking Dri" Nikolaus shook his head as I handed over the beer I ordered him

"Come on, one drink isn't going to hurt"

"Fine one" he grabbed the beer from my hand and took a sip, I grabbed his other hand led him out towards the dance floor.

As if knowing where I was planning on heading he pulled me back towards him and he placed his arm around my waist.

"I'm not dancing Dri"

"Fine look like the weird loner sitting by himself while watching the hot girl dance alone" I flashed him once last smile as I slipped out of his arm and continued my way towards the dance floor.

The night continued on much the same, me going between the dance floor and the bar. Several guys had joined me to dance throughout the night. I don't know why he changed his mind but at some point during the night Nikolaus had walked over and joined me on the dance floor holding me closer to him while giving all the guys the sign that I was taken, not that I cared either way.

I pulled away and pointed towards the bar giving him the hint I wanted another drink. He grabbed my hand and led the way towards the bar and ordered us each a drink. When he put the beer to his lips for a sip I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I thought one beer?" I took sip of my own drink, noticing the signs of being drunk, normally I would stop by now but tonight I didn't care

"I can take on these guys drunk" he didn't seem drunk out on the dance floor but now hearing him slur his speech a little and taking a good look at his face I realised he was in fact drunk. I shrugged at him and spun around to head back to the dance floor but my body had other plans.

Spinning around the fast made the room spin, I put my drink down at the bar and put a hand to my head to try and stop the room from spinning. Nikolaus must have noticed my discomfort, he put an arm around my waist and guided me outside to get some fresh air. The fresh air sobered me up a little.

"Thanks"

"No problem, I guess I wasn't really paying attention to how much you were drinking"

"No but you were paying attention to how many guys were dancing with me" he didn't say anything but took a sip of his beer. Why did I have to put my drink down, I really wanted it now.

"It was sweet, it shows you care" I smiled at him, he leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear.

"I do care about you Dri, more then you know" feeling his warm breath on my neck caused my breath to hitch. He softly kissed my cheek before he pulled away. If I was sober I knew I would question what he said but I was too drunk to care, even though he was no longer close enough to whisper in my ear we were still standing incredibly close.

I was able to soak in his good looks and the fact that he smelt incredible, he had smelt incredible all night but the fact that the sweat from dancing in the hot club filled with too many bodies made it that much more delicious. I wanted to kiss him, right here and now. All coherent sober thoughts flew out of my head standing here with him.

Just before I could do anything someone tapped on my shoulder, I turned around with the idea of telling them off for interrupting something when I was slapped across the face.

"You bitch, thinking you can dance with someone else's boyfriend the way you were and the fact that you have a boyfriend yourself!" I raised my hand to slap her back but Nikolaus caught my wrist half way through. He must have been drunk, normally he stops me before I can move.

"Don't babe, it's not worth it. You should go find your own boyfriend, chances are he's dancing with someone else" the girl huffed before turning around storming off.

"Come on I want to get another drink" I went to pull away from him but he kept a hold on my wrist and forced me to face him. He didn't say anything but softly placed his hand on my cheek that got slapped. I closed my eyes and softly said "owe" at the pain.

"Come on, we'll get you some ice as well"

"My face is fine" I don't know why I tried to lie, I knew he had heard me say owe when he touched my face

"It might be now but in the morning when you're sober it won't be" I frowned at him but allowed him to put an arm around my waist and lead me back inside towards the bar.

I took a seat at an empty table while Nikolaus headed towards the bar. He returned shortly with two drinks and some ice for my face. He placed the drinks of the table and sat down next to me. He placed one hand on my neck while the other held the ice against my cheek.

"You didn't have to do this" I spoke when he pulled the ice away from the face, I noticed it was half melted. He just placed it on the table and I picked up my drink.

"But I wanted to Dri" he face was dangerously close again but after getting some fresh air, getting slapped and having ice pressed against my face allowed me to have some sober thoughts. I pulled away from him

"I'm going to dance" I didn't grab his hand and pull him with me like I had been all night. I left him at the table.

The only sign I knew that he followed me was that at some point I felt a guy snake their arm around my waist and I turned around ready to slap him since I was now sick of guys coming up and hitting on me that I noticed it was Nikolaus. I didn't say anything but continued to dance with him.

The night went on, we continued to drink and dance and at some point we had gotten incredibly drunk. It was getting close to closing and I was feeling the effects of all the alcohol I drunk and if I was sober I wouldn't have done this but I did anyway.

I turned around so I was facing Nikolaus, I snaked my arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him. I must have shocked him at first considering he didn't do anything but eventually he fell into it and wrapped his arms around me pulling me closer to him. I felt one of his hands wrap themselves in my hair and grip it tightly. He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine, we were both breathing heavily.

"Come on we should go home" he managed to speak but all I could manage was a nod. He gripped my hand and pulled me out of the club heading back to the apartment.

**A/N: Thank you for everyone who keeps reading, reviewing and setting alerts for this story it means a lot. I believe this is what most people have been waiting, Nikolaus and Dri finally kissed.**

**GwennyDee thank you for reviewing, yes of course she did. I wanted to put him just in case anyone had some questions regarding everything with Jason and this does confirm that Michael had compelled him to keep talking to Dri and forget certain parts. As for what is still to the come, this is the beginning of it. I hope after all the almost moments with Nikolaus and Dri that this was done right. I know it does suck, sometimes I can get by with white chocolate since there is barely any cocoa in it. I love Allens lollies as well, except not a fan of pineapples, the racing cars are my favourite.**

**Gabergirl thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you liked it and I'm updating so quickly at the moment because I'm excited about how you will all react to the next few chapters. So I hope you do like them!**


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: Normally I don't put these at the start but since there is a sex scene in this chapter and I don't know the exact age of all my readers. I suggest anyone who isn't old enough to read the sex scene or you would rather not then please skip down to the next note letting you know it has finished.**

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**Chapter 43**

Nikolaus POV

I was woken up by being hit in the face by a pillow, half expecting it to be Nate to wake me up again like he had been every morning since we got here in Melbourne. I grabbed the pillow and rolled over.

"Go away Nate" I mumbled now realising how hung over I was, why did I drink so much last night. Oh yeah that's right, I couldn't handle being sober and seeing all those guys press themselves against Dri. So I kept drinking and now I regret it.

"It's not Nate" that was Dri's voice, why was Dri waking me up. I shot up in the bed and looked around the room, this wasn't my room it was Dri's. In fact our clothes were thrown all over the room, when I turned to face her she had the blanket pulled up around her. She looked confused, almost as if she didn't know what happened last night. I knew I remembered what happened and I couldn't believe I let it happen.

_The night before_

We made it back to the apartment and I went to go to my own room that I was sharing with Nathan and Shane but Dri grabbed my hand and pulled me towards her room. I knew I should have pulled away and I knew I shouldn't have kissed her back when she kissed me earlier, but I was drunk and I was known for doing stupid things when I was drunk. Looking at her in that dress, she looked damn sexy in it and I couldn't wait until I was able to rip the dress off her.

We made it into her room and she slammed the door behind her and I just hoped it didn't wake anyone up. I couldn't hold back any longer thanks to the amount of alcohol I had consumed and her standing there dressed like that. I gripped her waist and pulled her towards me and began kissing her passionately while I picked her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist and I guided the both of us to the bed before I dropped her on the bed.

Adrianna POV

I couldn't believe this was actually happening, all those years ago when I first met him I would have done anything to kiss him and now we were both standing in my bedroom kissing.

He dropped me down on the bed and laid over me and began sucking on my neck, at this point in time I didn't even care about the hickeys he was leaving.

I began pulling off his shirt and the sight of his chest stopped me. I knew he had to have had a toned chest and defined 6 pack from all the training Guardians had to endure but this was beyond impressive, and matched with the tanned skin I was completely mesmerized.

He caught me staring at him and he smirked before he reached underneath me and started to unzip my dress.

When I was free of my dress and I caught him staring at me, this time I smirked at him, he attacked my breasts with his lips and tongue. He started sucking on my nipples through the fabric, I couldn't hold back any longer. The moans escaped my lips.

He groaned listening to my moans and I could feel him straining against his pants. I reached down as he moved back to my neck and I started to rub him through his pants. He groaned louder and started kissing underneath my ear. No one had ever kissed me there, the feeling was incredibly. I shivered as he sucked it and I gripped his hair, holding him closer to it.

He realised what this spot was doing to me and he kissed and nipped at it harder. He then moved up to my earlobe and sucked on that too while palming my breasts.

I moved my hands down to his zipper and started to pull his pants down. He helped me take them off as well as our shoes and socks leaving us in only our underwear. He reached underneath me again and this time he unhooked my bra and pulled it off, throwing it across the room with it landing somewhere.

He sucked hard on one of my exposed nipples and I grabbed the waistline of his boxers and I dipped my hand inside. He breathed loudly as I gripped and started to stroke up and down, slowly starting to move faster and faster.

Then he pulled my hand out and pinned it, along with my other hand above my head by the wrists. Being in this positioned made me remember how often we had been in this position before, I wondered if he had wanted this as much as I did. He held my hands there firmly and he continued to suck and kiss every inch of my upper body.

I noticed his hand loosen grip on my wrists and I flipped him over. I shimmied down his body, licking his nipples and chest as I moved down. He shivered as I licked down his happy trail and reached the waistline.

Not wanting to wait any longer, I pulled his boxers down and let his erection free. I threw his boxers behind me and started stroking him again.

I placed his head in my mouth and sucked a little. He shivered again as I started moving his member in and out of my mouth.

I looked up at him to see his reaction and was very pleased when I saw he had his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open, while his head was leaning back on the pillow.

I tried deep throating him a couple of times but not all of him fit into my mouth so I took what I could and stroked the base and his balls.

When I pulled away he just looked at me for a second before launching himself at me and flipping me on my back.

He placed each of my thighs on each of his shoulders and began working his magic with his amazing tongue down there. He had me moaning in minutes and I gripped his hair again. He moved his tongue in and out of me and suddenly, I felt my stomach clench and my toes curl. I had never had an orgasm before but from the stories I heard this was it and I wanted more. He licked up almost everything and then removed my legs from his shoulders.

He climbed on top of me and began kissing my neck again but he pulled away, I almost complained not wanting to stop but the look on his face was enough to stop me

"I can stop if you want" his voice shocked me, none of us had said anything since entering my room. The sounds were of us moaning and groaning.

Concern that filled his eyes, for a moment I was confused as to why he would say that but then I remembered. After everything with Michael and me still having issues being pinned to anything but this whole time I didn't panic once.

"It's okay, I trust you" and I did trust him, I really did. I trusted him every time during practise when he had me pinned to the ground and even when he said he wouldn't let Michael touch me ever again.

He stroked my cheek with his thumb as he gave me a small smile before he went back to kissing my neck. "You're so beautiful" I heard him murmur against my neck. He started to kiss my neck again as he entered me. He started slow at first but built up speed.

He kept pounding into me and soon I lost all coherent thoughts. Any thought in my mind was all Nikolaus – how he looked and how he smelt and how he felt in me.

My stomach started clenching again. Immediately Nikolaus noticed me tensing and reached down and rubbed my clit, he also placed his mouth on my mine.

That was my undoing. I would have screamed out as an intense orgasm went straight through my body, making my toes curl but him placing his mouth on mine kissing me muffled my screams.

Nikolaus didn't even let me recover before he pounded into me again. Nikolaus started kissing my lips passionately as my body began to convulse once again.

When I came that time Nikolaus joined me, we both moaned and gripped at each other. When we were finished we laid back on the bed and Nikolaus wrapped his arms around my waist The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was him muttering something in Greek while placing soft kisses along my shoulder.

**A/N: The sex scene is now finished**

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Nikolaus had shot up at the sound of my voice and looked around the room. When he looked at me I pulled the blanket around me closer.

"Dri..."

"What the hell happened last night?" I yelled as quietly as possible not to gather any attention from my family

"I think we had sex" he placed his head in hands, obviously he was hung over as well.

"You think? I think it's kind of obvious by our lack of clothing and the fact that they are thrown all over my bedroom"

"Dri I don't remember what happened last night. I don't even remember getting home" great we have sex and he can't even remember what happened. I knew I didn't remember but that's not the point. The point is I finally have sex with someone after everything that happened with Michael and the guy can't fucking remember it.

"Great, just great" I mumbled to myself as I got off my bed and pulled the blanket with me as I walked over to the draws looking for clothes. "Close your eyes" I turned and faced him and waited until they were closed before I dropped the blanket and pulled the pants and jumper on.

Once I was dressed I walked around and gathered his clothes and threw them at him. "Get dressed" he didn't say anything as he got dressed either.

I opened my door and stuck my head out and noticed no one around, I left hoping to head straight for the bathroom.

"Morning Dri" I turned and found Shane sitting there in the living room

"Morning Shane, where's everyone else?"

"They all went to the zoo, I stayed up so you wouldn't worry when you woke up. So you can sneak Nikolaus out of your room without them seeing" I stared at him completely shocked, I didn't know what to say. How the hell did he know he was in my room?

"I was the one on guard last night, when you two got home I was in the bathroom. I heard your bedroom door slam, thinking you were annoyed by being forced to come home I went to my room to speak with Nikolaus and he wasn't in there. I went to your bedroom to make sure you two didn't kill each other and I witnessed you two making out"

"Oh god, I don't even remember that. I don't remember anything from last night. You tell him it's safe to come out, I'm going to shower"

When I came out of the bathroom I found both Nikolaus and Shane sitting on the couch, they were in the middle of a conversation and when they noticed me they stopped talking.

"You should shower, we have to leave for the bank soon" was all I said, at this point in time I didn't care who came with me but I knew one of them had too.

In the end it was Nikolaus that came to the bank with me to keep up the whole fake relationship thing that we continued here in Melbourne. We were currently sitting waiting to be taken to one of the side offices to discuss the wills left by my mother and grandparents.

"Dri we need to talk about this" every time I looked at him all I saw was him lying there in my bed naked and I couldn't shake the thought.

"What's there to talk about, we got drunk last night, had sex and now neither of us can remember what happened. It was obviously a mistake and when we get back to the academy we will act like nothing ever happened"

"Dri we still need to talk about it"

"I don't want to talk about it, so drop the fucking subject!" I glared at him as the lawyer and banker walked towards us.

"Miss Ivashkov it's good to see you again" I stood up and walked over to the family lawyer, I hadn't seen him since I left Melbourne. Every year on my birthday he would turn up and check up on me as well as updating me on anything he could or if they had moved he would let me know. I was told the same detective that was looking for my dad was also keeping an eye on me and where I was living. He obviously didn't know anything about what Michael was doing to me, or maybe Michael compelled him as well. There was nothing I could do about it now

"It's nice to see you as well, this is my boyfriend. I hope it's alright that he will be joining us" Nikolaus stood up and made his way over to us, he wrapped an arm around me and I flinched.

"Is everything alright Miss Ivashkov?"

"Yeah I didn't get much sleep last night due to nerves so I'm a little jumpy"

"Very well" they both watched me for a few moments as if waiting for me to say I didn't want him to be here and I was being forced to let him come along. When I didn't say anything they both smiled. "Follow us"

We followed them through the building towards one of the offices at the back where there was two large envelopes setting on the table, I assumed one was my mothers and the other was my grandparents.

Both wills covered the basics, everything was left to me since I was the last living family member, all the properties, money, jewellery, everything. The last thing that the lawyer handed over was a letter.

"Your mother told me this was to be given to you when you turned 18 but since we weren't able to locate you we had to wait until you turned up to claim everything. I was told it explained everything, why you had to wait until you were 18 to get anything and even why you had to wait for these letters" He then handed over a box that contained more letters

"Thank you, I will read these later. I can trust you in hopes that you will have all the money transferred to my account back in America?" I explained where I had been living the past 3 years when we first entered the office.

Before we had left dad had set up an account for me so if I was left any money they could transfer it to an account I could access back home.

The lawyer nodded and all that was left was for me to sign the appropriate documents stating I had claimed everything and they would handle the rest.

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**A/N: For those of you who did not read the sex scene there are only two bits of information that you will need to know for later chapters. The first being that at some point Nikolaus asked to make sure Dri was alright with what they were doing, she said she was that she trusted him. She had the realisation that she trusted him with everything. The second is once they were finished they were lying there in the bed and Nikolaus was softly kissing her shoulders while saying something in Greek, at this point in time it is unknown what it was but it does come up again later.**

**I'm sorry for everyone who thought that Dri and Nikolaus would finally get their happy ending but I have a bit more planned for them, so again I'm sorry.**

**Roselopez thank you for reviewing, even if it's just to say update soon I need to know what happens. It means a lot and I tried to get this up as soon as possible.**

**GwennyDee as always thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you liked it. I hoped you liked this one just as much. **

**LilianGrace thank you for reviewing, hearing you say that you adore my story means a lot to me. I love him as a dad to a teenage girl as well, there are points where he is just plain confused as to what to do. Thank you again.**

**Jpitt thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you liked how the previous chapter was done. But as you can see Dri sort of does get caught with Nikolaus in her room but it was just Shane. It isn't a problem, I write my chapters in advance so if I have time to write more chapters they come out more quickly.**

**Gabergirl thank you for always reviewing, I have to admit I had a little giggle at reading your review with all the yay at the start. I can assure you that at some point she does get her memories back**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

The Letter

_Adrianna,_

_I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am that I wasn't there to watch you grow up, I hope you had the upbringing I know you deserve to have. I know you will have questions about who your father is, there isn't much I can tell you and I hope the detective I hired can find him before it is too late._

_I wish I could have been there to watch you grow up, learn to talk, learn to walk, start school, start high school and graduate. I hate knowing I will miss every aspect of your life but I hope more than anything that there is still some sort of a family left for you._

_What comes with turning 18 is everything that was in my name before I died, along with that is my bank accounts and everything I have to remember your father by. The reason you had wait so long for anything from me is because my best friend growing up had been raised in foster homes and if anything had happened to my parents I didn't want your new guardians to know that you had an inheritance waiting for you, I didn't want them to use you like they used my best friend._

_Most people told me I was young and stupid but I wouldn't change that summer for anything. I wasn't in love with your father but he meant the world to me at the time, I believe he was our in between people. I was getting over a broken heart and so was he. I know I didn't get the chance to meet someone else but I was able to bring you into the world, so I can only hope that he was able to move on._

_I hope you had the best childhood growing up and I can only hope you have the best future. I want you to know I would have loved you know matter what you did in your past, what you decide to with your future, whether you became an artist or a brain surgeon I would have been proud of you either way._

_I hope you can find someone who means the world to you and gives you the family you deserve. You deserve to be incredibly happy no matter how much heart break you had growing up. I can't imagine the pain you suffered growing up without your mother, I just hope your father was found in time before it was too late._

_Please remember I love you and I wouldn't go back and change the fact that I got to bring you into the world. I was more than willing to risk my life to bring you into this world._

_Adrianna you are my best mistake and I already love you so much._

_I love you xo_

Adrianna POV

I wiped away the tears that had appeared from reading the letter from my mother. When we got home from the bank Shane was asleep and I curled up on the couch to read through the letters I was given. I had no idea where Nikolaus went and at this point in time I didn't care.

After I read the main one I flicked through the box to see what the letters, there were 7 in total

\- _To be read on the night before your wedding_

\- _To be read when you meet your father_

\- _To be read when you graduate_

\- _To be read when you fall in love_

\- _To be read when you give birth to your first child_

\- _To be read when you have your first heartbreak_

\- _To be read when you are missing me the most_

I felt the couch dip beside me and I knew without even looking up that it was Nikolaus since I hadn't seen Shane emerge from his bedroom yet

"Are you alright?"

"Fine, I'm guessing dad and the rest of them aren't back yet?"

"No they're not. You aren't even going to look at me are you?" I shook my head at him and pulled out the letter that was label to be read when you meet your father.

"Dri please look at me, I hate knowing I'm the reason you're feeling like this" he reached out to touch my arm. I snapped my head around and glared at him

"Don't touch me. Neither of us remembered what happened last night so what is there to feel?" I didn't let him reply as I stood up, grabbed the box and headed for my room.

I wasn't in my room long before the door opened again. "I told you to fucking drop it" I didn't look up for the box deciding against reading letter about dad

"Is that really how you are going to talk to me?" my face fell at the sound of dad's voice. I looked up at him and he didn't look impressed

"I'm sorry I thought you were Nikolaus"

"Is everything alright between you two?" there was no way in hell I could tell dad what happened, I didn't even know if Shane had told him, actually I don't know the extant to what Shane knew. All I did know is that hell would break lose once dad knew what happened.

"He keeps trying to talk about something that I don't want to, how was the zoo?"

"It was good the boys enjoyed it, we were lucky it was cloudy all day so we weren't bothered by the sun. How did everything go today?"

"Fine, can we go home?"

"Why so early? We've only been here a couple of days"

"Just everything with mums will, I just want to go home dad" dad looked at me and then noticed the box sitting in front of me on the bed.

"What's in the box?"

"A bunch of letters from mum to be read at various times, I can read two of them right now but I can't. I just want to go home dad" I flicked through the letters not looking up at dad

"Very well, I will see what I can organise"

"Thanks dad" I still didn't look up as he left the room but I waited until the door was shut to lay back on my bed and put a pillow over my face.

I couldn't tell him the reason I wanted to leave was because I wanted to get away from Nikolaus, I wanted to get out of this room that kept reminding me of how I saw him this morning, naked. I wanted to go home and talk to Emily about all of this and find some way to tell Rose what happened, I wanted to know how she dealt with what happened with Dimitri and the compulsion charm.

Dad wasn't able to get us on a flight until the next afternoon and I was grateful, it was the best he could do but it meant I was going home. Due to it being last minute though we were split up on the plane, Shane had to sit with Ellie and Matt while Nathan sat with dad and Nate and that left me with Nikolaus. Of course it would since dad was still set on us pretending to date, people were already looking at us funny because of Shane and Nathan the last thing they need is a guy watching from a creepy distance over an 18 year old girl.

The whole way to the airport the scarf I had around my neck had been pulling on my hair, I finally had the chance to pull my hair out.

"I'm sure you can take the scarf off now, you're family is somewhere else on the plane" I didn't even respond but took the scarf off anyway.

I walked out of my room earlier this morning with my hair up, half asleep completely forgetting about the hickeys that Nikolaus left on my neck and dad managed to see them. He completely ripped through me thinking that Nikolaus had left them but I told him it was just some human, it wasn't happy with it either but said I should cover them with a scarf so Ellie and my brothers didn't see them. Nikolaus questioned the scarf before we left but all I did was glare at him, I think at some point he must have realised what I was covering since I didn't even take it off when we reached the airport.

"You can't ignore me this whole flight, it's a fifteen hour flight" I had been ignoring him ever since dad and the rest of them got back from the Zoo.

"I could try, I ignored dad, Shane, Nathan and Alex when I first flew there" I turned and looked out the window, we hadn't event taken off yet.

"That was a private plane Dri, they could give you your space where as I have to sit next to you for the whole fifteen hours"

"Why do you want to keep talking about this?" I finally turned away from the window and looked at him with tears in my eyes

"Because I want to apologize for taking advantage of you" at this point I'm so glad the old lady next to him had gotten up to bug one of the hostesses so no one was paying attention to our conversation and my family were seated else where

"Neither of us can remember what happened, how do you know I didn't take advantage of you?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm older I should have known better no matter how much alcohol I had to drink"

"Trust me that is the last thing I'm thinking, I don't believe for a second you took advantage of me. You know everything that happened with Michael, I doubt you would have done something to take advantage of me" I was fighting so hard to hold back my tears but they got the better of me, one escaped and run down my cheek.

He didn't say anything as I turned around in my seat so I could face him properly and I rested my head against the seat. He reached out and wiped the tears away with his thumb, he left his hand on my cheek for longer then was needed.

"I really am sorry Dri, I don't want this to change things between us. We have another year to get through. Even if you don't think I took advantage of you, I still feel like this is partially my fault. I'm also sorry about the hickys and getting you in trouble" he ran his fingers over them on my neck and I frowned at him, he quickly pulled his hand away.

"I promise it's fine, we will get through the rest of summer break and then when school starts up we will act like it didn't happen and go back to how we have been the last three years" I turned around and put my head phones in to watch a movie. Nikolaus must have gotten the hint I really didn't want to talk about it anymore and watched a movie of his own.

"They are very cute aren't they?" I had no idea who was speaking, I didn't even realise I had fallen asleep. I opened my eyes and realised I was leaning against Nikolaus, it was the lady on the other side of him that was talking and she was talking to Matt.

"They are far from cute" he shot a glare at Nikolaus, even though he was younger than me he tried to act like he was the protective older brother. When he was first told about the fake relationship he got all grumpy and annoyed and when dad asked him about he explained that he was just going to break my heart like Jeremy did, it was the cutest thing to witness.

"Hah you're funny Matt, what do you want?"

"Dad said you've got my video game"

"I do, it's in my bag above us. Can you reach it?"

"No but it's alright I will get Shane to come grab it. You go back to sleep"

"Thanks Matt" I gave him a small smile as he walked off.

Once he was gone I put up the arm rest and snuggled in against Nikolaus again, he was much more comfortable then the window. He was either awake or he subconsciously moved to wrap an arm around me and right now I didn't care, I was tired and he was comfortable to sleep on

Nikolaus POV

I woke up at some stage during the flight and Dri was asleep against me, this wasn't right and when I tried to shift her she just mumbled something before snuggling in closer. I still haven't been able to get the images of us having sex out of my head and now having her sleeping against me allowing me to be able to smell her perfume, it was intoxicating.

I hated lying to her and telling her I didn't remember what happened but I had no other choice. I knew she would press me for details and it was easier this way but I hated how she felt knowing neither of us could remember it and I was truly sorry for making her feel like that.

I still had no idea if I was returning for the new school year, I didn't know what would be worse. Continue to work with her and remember us having sex and me pinning her to the ground will put us in similar positions or leave and not have her around anymore.

I knew I shouldn't have done this but I put on another movie, kissed the top of Dri's head and wrapped my arms tighter around her.

**A/N: LilianGrace thank you for reviewing, yes unfortunately no happy ending yet but as for later I'm not too sure. I want to give them the happy ending they deserve but I haven't written it or even thought it out so I have no idea how or when it happens but remember at this point in time Dri doesn't have feelings for him or if she does, she doesn't know they're there. As for what Nikolaus said, it's nothing too drastic or out there. It's not something that you don't already know, it's not important at this point until Dri remembers it again.**

**Gabergirl thank you for reviewing, I like hearing that my readers get excited when there is a new chapter posted. I'm glad you see it that way because as much as what happened in the chapter people were excited that was finally happening it was also just a filler chapter that led towards other chapters. I promise I will always try and update as soon as I can.**

**Katherine mccarty thank you for reviewing, I love hearing from my readers. I'm glad to know you love my story and you are hooked. I'm not able to update every day but I do try to update at least once sometimes twice if time allows me too.**

**GwennyDee thank you for always reviewing, I'm glad to know you enjoyed that much you couldn't stop grinning. I'm glad you love Dri and Nikolaus together. I completely forgot about the hickeys so I put them in this chapter, it's the small things like that I always seem to forget so please pick me up on them in the future and I will make adjustments. Not all the letters will be covered but some will be later on.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

Adrianna POV

As soon as we made it back to Court I went straight to my room to dump my bag and showered before leaving and heading to Emily's. I needed to talk to someone about what happened and I knew she wouldn't judge me and also I couldn't handle the looks Shane kept sending my way. I didn't know what him and Nikolaus talked about but somehow I had a feeling he knew what happened that night.

I didn't realise how early it was until I entered Emily's bedroom and found her sound asleep. I couldn't sit around and wait for her to wake up so I jumped on her bed.

"Go away, let me sleep" Emily pulled the blanket up and over her head trying to get rid of me, I was the only one who wake up her this way so she knew it was me before I even spoke.

"I had sex with Nikolaus"

"Like I would fall for that" she mumbled through the blanket

"Emily I'm being serious, we got drunk and had sex. Neither of us can remember what happened but still. I need to talk to someone!" I laid down next to her on her bed waiting for her to come out underneath her blanket.

"Alright, alright I'm awake. Now please go back to the start"

"Dad said I could go out clubbing one night if Nikolaus came with me, me all night thinking he would be sober I got drunk but he got drunk as well and I have no idea why he got drunk considering he was meant to be watching me. I don't know who started it or how we ended up in my bedroom but we did and then the next morning I woke up to find both of us naked and now..."

"Wait you saw him naked?" Emily cut me off and I was a little annoyed but hey if the roles were reversed I would be curious as well.

"Yes I saw him naked"

"Give me details, surely you remember what he looked naked the next morning while hung over" over the years we had made jokes about how we wanted to see Nikolaus naked he was incredibly hot but we both knew it would never happen and now that it had, well Emily was excited, I was embarrassed and things were awkward between Nikolaus and myself.

"Can we please talk about the fact that I had sex with a teacher over summer break and how I'm going to deal with this when we go back for senior year?"

"But that's no fun"

"You're meant to be my best friend, I thought you would have been easier to talk to instead of Stefan"

"Stefan's in the guest room if you want to talk to him?" Emily shrugged, she knew I would eventually tell Stefan, I rarely kept anything from both of them and if told one I usually told the other.

"Wait why is Stefan in the guest room?" I was confused, during breaks Stefan always stayed with his mother, she was still an active Guardian but her Moroi lived here at Court allowing him to visit.

"Lord Zelkos decided he wanted to treat his family to a holiday over summer break so Stefan is staying here"

"But Lord Zelkos' kids are like 5 or 6 why can't they go when we go back to school?"

"Because he's a dick, even Stefan's mum says that"

"We knew that but please back to my issue at hand"

"What you saw Nikolaus naked and you're going to give me all the details?"

"That's it I'm waking Stefan up" I mock snapped at her as I got off her bed and left her room in search of Stefan asleep in the guest room.

When I entered the room he was asleep sprawled out on his stomach, me being the type of friend I was I went and jumped on him and sat on him, waking him up.

"So here's the thing, while in Melbourne Nikolaus and I got drunk and somehow ended up in my bedroom and had sex. Well at least that's what we think happened since we both woke up hung over and naked the next morning in my bed with our clothes all over my room. Now first I went to Emily but she was too interested in the fact that I saw Nikolaus naked, what are your thoughts?" Stefan didn't say anything, in fact he rolled over so fast that I fell over and landed next to him in the bed.

"If you wanted me in your bed again all you had to do was ask" I grinned at him and he was a little shocked. You see Stefan was the novice whose room I was found in before freshman year started, when we first met we didn't say anything about it until we were alone. We both agreed not to talk about it or even tell any of our friends about it, we both hated keeping this from Emily but oh well.

"What do you mean again?" we both turned and found Emily standing there, I didn't even realise she had followed me

"Think we should finally tell her?" I looked over at Stefan as he spoke and nodded

"Tell me what?" Emily came over and joined us on the bed

"Well do you remember freshman year when Lindsay spread that rumour about me being in the room of two royal Moroi but then I said it was just a novice?"

"Yeah but what does that have to do with anything?" Sometimes and I mean just sometimes she was as clueless as Belle but most of the time she knew what you were trying to say

"Em, Stefan was that novice" her eyes went wide and then she kept looking between the two of us. "Wait you two had sex?" this caused both of us to laugh

"God no, we were drunk, made out and then passed out we didn't get that far, I don't think clothing was even removed"

"I think maybe my shirt was but other than that Dri is right"

"Why haven't either of you told me this?" Emily looked really hurt and I instantly felt bad

"Em we both decided it wasn't worth telling anyone, nothing happened at all and nothing has since"

"Fine" Emily pouted at the both of us and we both let out a sigh

"Good now that is out of the way can we please talk about my issue at hand?" I crossed my arms

"I really want to know about Nikolaus being naked" Emily grinned at me

"Hell no, I do not want to know about him being naked"

"HAH! Suck it Emily, so we are going to talk about me having sex with a teacher...oh god I had sex with a teacher, the more I say it the more real it becomes" I pulled out one of Stefan's pillows out from underneath my head and put it over my face.

"Alright fine we will seriously talk about this. But what are we meant to say, you said neither of you can remember it so how do you know it actually happened?" I pulled the pillow off my head and raised an eyebrow at Emily

"Oh come Em, we both woke up hung over and naked in my bed. What do you think happened?"

"Well you just said you and Stefan passed out before anything happened"

"Yeah but our clothes didn't come off. I actually think those two had sex, I can't believe after all the jokes we all made at your expense something actually happened"

"No shit, wait you can't tell the rest of our friends"

"What why?"

"You know why, it will pass right over Belle's head, Carter never really cared for the jokes you all made my expense the only one who really joined in with you two is Jeremy and things are still weird between us. I wouldn't even have sex with him, he will get all funny about me having sex with Nikolaus considering there was a time he was worried about him"

"What about James?"

"Oh come on we all know as soon as I see James he is going to find out" I groaned putting the pillow back over my face

"That's true, hey Dri what dress did you wear when you went out?"

"Seriously Emily why are you concerned with what she wore?"

"Because I'm a girl" I still had the pillow over myself but I could almost picture her shrugging at Stefan

"Actually what dress did you wear that obviously made Nikolaus want to jump your bones"

"I'll show you, Emily can I spend a few nights here? I want to avoid my house, dad keeps looking at me funny and then there's Shane as well"

"Yeah mum won't care you know that. Why are they both looking at you funny?"

"Well I don't exactly know if Shane knows we had sex but he caught us making out and then him and Nikolaus were talking about something. Whereas dad is worried, I got the stuff from the wills and a bunch of letters and when dad got home I asked if we could leave early. I didn't want to be in Melbourne anymore"

"Have you spoken to Shane?"

"Nope I pretty much ignored everyone for the rest of the trip, I'm going to go home and pack a bag and come back here"

"Good I'm going back to sleep, Emily get the hell out" Stefan narrowed his eyes at Emily before pulling the blanket over his head.

When I made it home, I crept around the house in hopes of not running into my family. I was just planning on sending dad a message saying I wanted spend the next few nights at Emily's with her and Stefan, I'm sure he would understand. I thought I was safe about not running into anyone when I found Shane sitting in the living room.

"What are you doing here, don't you have your own apartment here at Court?"

"I do, I was hoping to talk to you but you were ignoring my calls" my hand instantly went to the pocket in my shorts where my phone normally was and it wasn't there.

"I guess I left it in my room, why do you want to talk?"

"We need to talk about what I witnessed in Melbourne"

"Hell no" I shook my head at him before heading upstairs to my room

I was walking around my room grabbing clothes from my draws and cupboard and placing them in a bag when I spotted the red dress still on my bed, I let out a sigh and threw it in, Emily and Stefan still wanted to know which dress I wore.

"Dri" I turned and found Shane standing there

"What? There is nothing to talk about"

"There is something to talk about, I saw the two of you making out and then you barely spoke to him for the rest of the trip"

"Why do I have to talk about this with you?"

"Have you spoken about this with him?"

"I have actually, it was a long flight and he didn't give me much of a choice"

"Dri he's your teacher"

"I know this! You seriously don't think I've been freaking out about this...wait what do you know?"

"I know you two had sex, I was waiting to see if you told me or asked me"

"Great just great, are you going to tell dad"

"No, he would lose his mind and it was obviously a mistake. A mistake you can't easily forget like you seem to think it will be"

"It will be easy, I have the rest of summer break and when I go back for senior year we will act like nothing will ever have happened. I will go back to St Vladimirs and hang out with my friends and still have that weird friendship with Jeremy"

"Dri it's going to be weird with Nikolaus, what is going to happen the first time he pins you in a fight?"

"Nothing because I can't remember that night at all, all I remember is going to the club and waking up the next morning hung over now please drop this. I don't have to talk about this with you, I don't understand why you think I should"

"Because you don't seem to understand the severity of what happened"

"What we got drunk and had sex, it wasn't like I haven't had sex before and it's not like I'm going to get pregnant since we're both dhampirs and for some reason dhampirs can't have children with each other" I picked up my bag and phone before pushing past him and leaving the house to head back to Emily's

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story as well as setting alerts for updates.**

**LilianGrace thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you liked the letter. I rewrote it way too many times and in the end I gave up. I'm actually still in the process of writing the scene and I have no idea where it will be. I'm hoping to have it finished before I post the chapter where she goes back to the Academy so I can slip it in then otherwise it will be at Christmas.**

**GwennyDee thank you for always reviewing, I know it would have been hard but I've seem movies and read other fanfictions where characters have written letters and left them behind for whoever and I decided to put those in. As for her inheritance it doesn't really mean much to the story so I haven't really thought of a number but Dri's mum and grandparents had enough money that they could take care of her without Adrian's help, so I'm assuming a decent chunk. You will have to wait and see how Rose reacts but I can assure you that Nikolaus will not talk to Rose about, mainly because he is afraid about Dimitri and Adrian finding out. **

**Thank you to the guest reviewer, I'm glad you like my story and I'm sorry you're starting to find it a bit draggy and boring.**

**gabergirl thank you for always reviewing, ****I'm hoping that you meant Dri finally knows that she loves Nikolaus instead of Dimitri in some part of her. But at this point I think she's trying to work out how to go on after the two of them having sex.**


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

Adrianna POV

I had been at Emily's for a couple of days now and I had spoken to dad a couple of times, he understood I wanted to be with my friends and away from my family. I told him it was hard with everything to do with mums will and he understood.

I had no idea where Emily's mum was I hadn't seen her since I got here, Emily said she was just busy working. I was currently standing in the kitchen wearing just a long shirt looking for breakfast.

"Nice legs" I turned around to find James standing there smirking, I was kind of hoping I didn't have to see him until the new school year started but I completely forgot he was spending the summer here at Court.

"Hi James" I smiled at him

"What are you hiding from me?" he narrowed his eyes at me. Towards the end of the last school year I had began practising clearing my mind so he couldn't easily access my memories.

"Nothing, what are you doing here?"

"Emily told me you were back I wanted to come visit you"

"Uhuh, did she tell you we were going out tonight?"

"Actually Stefan told me, he wanted me to come along so he wasn't stuck with you two girls all night"

"Hey Dri did you bring that red dress?" Stefan yelled as he entered the kitchen

"What red dress, does it show off her legs as well as that shirt?" James turned to Stefan and the two of them began making me fun of me and I instantly turned and left the kitchen heading towards Emily's room where I had been staying while living here since there was only one guest bedroom.

"James is here" I entered the room and found Emily standing there in a towel

"I told him to come around tonight, as in a vampire tonight not human tonight. God that kid is an idiot"

"No shit, I left after hearing him and Stefan talk about my legs" I pulled a face at her and she laughed

"Oh come on you never once thought you and James?"

"Nah I don't think that kid has any of his own emotions, he seems to pull them off other people. I know Stefan has always made comments on my legs so that's probably where it came from"

"YOU FUCKING SLUT! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE KEEPING FROM ME!" I heard James yell.

"I'm going to kill Stefan, I cleared my mind so James couldn't see that particular memory" when James and Stefan entered the room I was glaring at both of them and Stefan looked particularly uncomfortable that he tried to hide behind the door while James was grinning.

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Nope you're not my best friend, is there anything I've actually told you or was it all you've seen from my thoughts?"

"That's not the point and you know it, I can't believe you were actually trying to keep this from me when I'm probably the only person who can get some insight in to his head for you and you were going to keep this from me"

"Why can't I keep this from you and stay with telling my two best friends and plus I can't even remember the night anyway"

"I really want to see this red dress now"

"You've seen what I remember now haven't you?" I ignored Stefan and looked over at James

"I have" he grinned at me.

"Just put the dress on already" I let out a sigh before looking at Stefan

"Why can't you wait until tonight when I told you I was going to put it on?"

"Has it been washed?"

"Of course it has been washed you idiot Stefan, I put in the wash when she came here with it" Emily threw a pillow at him

"You know what, maybe I should go back home and leave you all alone. I've had enough of you all making fun of me for having sex with Nikolaus" I took a seat on the bed

"Oh come on Dri, we wouldn't be good friends if we couldn't make fun of you for something like this"

"Then you won't take this to heart when I tell you all to fuck off" I smiled at them as I said all of this, all they did was laugh at my response before coming over and joining me on Emily's bed.

"I can help you remember what happened that night though, it will take a bit but I could find it" I stared at James, did I really want to remember what happened?

"Dri are you alright?" I looked over at Emily and Stefan, obviously I was quiet for longer than I thought.

"I just don't know if I want to remember what happened, I'm going to shower" I didn't say anything or even let them say anything. I just left the room and headed towards the bathroom to shower.

The four of us spent the rest of the day hanging around Emily's house watching tv and talking about random shit. It wasn't until later that night we decided we should get ready for the party we were going to. The boys groaned when Emily and I said we were going to get ready, they both knew just how long it was going to take us to get ready. Even though I knew what I was going to where Emily didn't and that could take just as long as it could to get ready in general.

"How could you not know if you want to remember what happened, wouldn't it clear everything up?" Emily spoke while she was pulling dresses out of her wardrobe, I was already finished getting ready but she still hadn't decided what to wear.

"But it could make things worse, what if I remember what happened but it just makes things weirder between us. As much as I'm confused about not knowing what happened it seems a bit easier"

"It's just an idea, you know James won't actually search for the memory unless you say he can. I understand there's times where he can't help it especially if we focus on it but this you can't even remember. What about this dress?"

"Nope, it's ugly. I know he won't go searching for it but I can't decide if it's easier not knowing or knowing"

Emily didn't say anything else on the subject as she continued to search her wardrobe, she eventually found a dress. Once she was dressed we went out and found the boys sitting in the lounge room yelling at the tv, they were watching an old NBA match and the only reason I knew it was old was because I watched the same match last week.

"You know the Celtics win right?" they both turned and glared at me, huh I guess they were hoping that the Knicks won.

"How do you know?"

"This game aired last week"

"Huh" it was then they both noticed my dress.

"Okay now I can see why Nikolaus wanted you out of that dress"

"Stefan is right, it doesn't leave much to the imagination. I'm guessing Adrian didn't see you in it before you left"

"He did why?"

"How did he let you leave in that dress, Emily did you know she would look like this in that dress?" both of the boys looked at Emily who was grinning.

"Yes I was with her when she bought it, I convinced her to buy it. I told her it would make guys go crazy and drool, seeing you two makes me think I was right"

"She looks hot in that dress"

"I agree with Stefan"

"You two spend too much time together" I shook my head before turning and heading for the front door, they knew where the party was and they could meet me there but they ran and caught up to me anyway.

"Come on, I've had fun getting to know James. I didn't know we had so much in common"

"Exactly Dri, come on it's not that bad. We both like to party, we both like girls and we both think you're hot" I looked at them and they both grinned at me.

"You two, right now let's get one thing straight. You will never and I mean never see me naked, you don't have any chance of getting me out of this dress tonight so set your hopes on someone else"

"Dri if I wanted to see you naked all I have to do is go visit Nikolaus" I stared at him

"Don't even think about it" I narrowed my eyes at him

"Alright come on let's go to this party and get Dri drunk before she decides to beat you two up" Emily grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the boys, right now beating them up sounded like a good thing.

We had been at the party for a while, Stefan had gone off as soon as he noticed some girls, Emily is off where some guy and I had no idea where James went and I was currently sitting in the corner talking to another novice from a different academy.

"You're coming with me" I heard Emily's voice before she grabbed my hand and pulled me up and away from the guy.

"Sorry" I shrugged before I turned back to Emily. "What's going on Em?"

"Jeremy's here"

"What do you mean he's here, his family live in Connecticut?"

"I know that, look he's over there to Stefan" Emily point to where Jeremy was indeed talking to Stefan.

"Come on we should go say hi"

"Do I have to?"

"He knows that the three of us live at Court, he knows if Stefan is here we will be as well and come on you had sex with Nikolaus, thought you would have moved on" she winked at me and I glared at her but let her drag me over towards them anyway.

"Hey Jeremy" Emily spoke and he turned around giving both of us a smile but it was when he noticed what I was wearing that he shocked, it was similar to how James and Stefan reacted earlier.

"Yeah we get it, Dri looks hot in that dress. Now back to your story"

"Not right now Stefan, Dri can we talk?" he looked so hopeful, I didn't know what to say. I looked at Emily but she had already pulled Stefan away from the two of us.

"I guess they answered the question for me"

"If you don't want to talk it's fine"

"No it's fine but let's go outside, I could do with some air" he didn't say anything but headed towards the door and I followed him. When we made it outside I went over and took a seat on the grass and he sat down beside me.

"How did your dad let you leave the house in that dress?"

"1 I got ready at Emily's and 2 dad has seen me in this dress. I wore it in Melbourne"

"How did he react to that?"

"He asked what I was wearing and it ended up with me threatening to make the dress even shorter"

"I don't think that is possible Dri"

"I could try, how come you're here at Court?"

"Mum has to handle some family stuff"

"I thought you were going on a surprise holiday?"

"Had to postpone it, how was Melbourne?" I stared at him not knowing how to answer, I knew he wouldn't have a clue about what happened with Nikolaus but I didn't exactly want to tell him the trip was fine either.

"It was hard, I ended up convincing dad to take us home early" I turned my head and looked out in front of us

"You know I'm still here if you want to talk Dri"

"I know, I just don't know how to go back to us being friends"

"I get it, I really fucked up and I hate that I lost you"

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Nothing in particular, I just wanted to talk to you" I looked over at him, I had gotten so good at reading the emotions that were written across his face but right now I had no idea what he was feeling.

"Jer you can't keep thinking we can go back to normal after what happened. You can't pull me away from our friends and assume I want to talk to you"

"Dri, you've been ignoring my calls and messages. You haven't said a single word to me since classes finished, I miss you. I miss being friends with you and I miss being able to talk to you about anything"

"Jer you have to stop pushing with this, I told you before classes finished I needed time"

"Dri"

"Don't Jer" I stood up and headed back towards the house to join the party and look for my friends, when I made it to the door, I stopped and looked back at Jeremy and I regretted it. He looked so hurt but I couldn't go back. I just opened the door and entered the house.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**LilianGrace thank you for reviewing, I know Emily's comments are good. I thought about how both Emily and Stefan would react to the news and after everything Dri has been through they would have been there for her no matter what, so I wanted Emily to be excited at the idea of hearing about Nikolaus naked. Let's face it, if one of your friends had sex with some hot famous person or some other person you found incredibly hot would you wanted to know the details instead of helping them not freak out? I know I would. Yes Dri is overwhelmed with the whole thing, it was her reason for wanting to leave Melbourne early. She wanted to get away from all of them and the room it took place in. As she said at one point, 'the more the I say it the more real it becomes' there is also the fact that the line separating a teaching/student relationship and a friendship is very blurry with Nikolaus and Dri.**

**GwennyDee thank you for always reviewing, sorry about the cliff hanger, by what Shane said could mean a couple of things. You'll just have to wait and see what happens. I know right, it's why I put it in same with Stefan but her friends are there for her about the whole even if I don't actually show it all. As for James well you saw his reaction and no he doesn't let it slip, I never plan for James to let it slip about how Nikolaus feels, he only makes hints that Dri doesn't pay attention too.**

**Gabergirl thank you for always reviewing, that's fine I can understand but thought I would check first. I'm glad you loved me, it means a lot hearing how much readers are enjoying my story. I can assure you that Dri will get her memories back about what happened and some of them will be mentioned later on so don't stress.**


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

James POV

Emily has just dragged Dri away from us after saying that we should get some alcohol into her before she beat us up. As soon as Emily and Dri were out of earshot I turned to Stefan.

"Would Dri really beat us up?"

"She'll try, come on we should catch up and I want to see what hot chicks are at the party" he gave me a look that I wouldn't need to know what he actually had planned for the hot girls he found at the party but I followed him anyway.

Ever since Dri's friends accepted me as one of their friends I was grateful, I missed having friends and I missed my old friends. But having these new friends and being introduced to their scene they spent time in at the academy made me not feel so lonely anymore.

When we made it to the party everyone seemed to go off on their own and I was left to myself, at first I felt a little out of it. All three of them lived at Court so they knew everyone who was here, I recognised a couple of people from St Vladimir's but they weren't exactly people I spoke too, I didn't even know they were people that Dri, Emily and Stefan spoke to either. Maybe it's a Court thing.

I was grabbing another drink when I felt someone tap on my shoulder I turned around and couldn't help the smile that came to my face, it was Millie. I had no idea what she was doing at Court, hell if she had told me she was going to be here I would have made sure I was here, not just here because I had decided to take up summer learning.

"Millie what are you doing here?"

"Really James, that is all you can say to me after not seeing me since Christmas break?" she frowned at me and I couldn't help the smile, I knew she would have been as shocked as I am.

"I'm sorry Mille. I missed you like crazy and I can't believe your here. Better?" all she did was grin at me before giving me a hug

"A little but don't worry, I'm as shocked as you are. What are you doing here?"

"Summer learning from both Lord Ivashkov and Queen Vasilisa, what about you?"

"Mum wanted to visit her sister but they wanted to do it somewhere big enough for all of us so both families came out here"

"That doesn't explain what you are doing at a party at Court though"

"Oh my cousin is the same age as us, you might know him actually. He goes to St Vladimir's, he got invited by some of his friends that live at Court"

"Wait a second, didn't your aunt marry into the Ozera family?" Millie's mum was a part of the Zelkos family but married into the Tarus family.

"Yeah, do you know Jeremy do you?" I knew without her confirming it was Jeremy, there wasn't too many Ozera's in my year at St Vladimir's

"I do actually" if Jeremy was here it wouldn't be long until he found Dri or she found him first. I don't actually think Emily or Stefan would have invited him, I think it is more he heard about the party and decided to crash.

Jeremy had been trying so hard to get Dri to talk to him before summer break started but it was too hard for her but maybe now after what happened with Nikolaus she might be able to handle being friends with him again.

I eventually found Emily and Stefan standing in one of the other rooms looking out the window. "Spying on Dri are we?" they both jumped, I smirked at them as they turned around.

"What makes you think that?" Emily tried to deny but Stefan gave it away

"Well for one I know Jeremy is here and since the three of us are here it only leaves Dri for you to spy on"

"Fine, yes we're spying on Dri. Her and Jeremy are talking"

"I knew it anyway Emily"

"How come you knew Jeremy was here?"

"There you are James, why did you take off on me like that?"

"Sorry Millie, these are my friends from school. Emily and Stefan, they're both novices"

"Nice to meet you both, now why did you take off?"

"Well Jeremy happens to be the ex boyfriend of a friend of ours"

"Oh you're friends with Adrianna? He was telling me about her"

"Wait a second, James is this the friend that convinced you to come here?"

"Yes she is..." I didn't even get a chance to finish my sentence, Emily threw herself at Millie. Lucky for Millie she was a part of the defence class at school and able to stand her ground

"Thank you" Emily kept saying over and over until Stefan pried her off Millie, I understood why Emily was so grateful. If I didn't transfer to St Vladimir's then Michael would still be there and they would be at a loss as to what to do.

"Does this have anything to do with the Voda who was only teaching at St Vladimir's for a couple of months before he was taken to court?" Emily and Stefan both looked confused

"Oh right, Millie is a Tarus. Jeremy's cousin to be exact"

"That's why you came looking for Dri"

"It is, I wanted to warn her before he found her"

"Oh come on do you really think she is still going to have an issue with Jeremy after what happened in Melbourne?"

"He broke her heart Stefan, why would her having..." Stefan shut Emily up by placing a hand over her mouth. We both knew what she was going to say, I looked over at Millie and she looked a little out of place

"I'm sorry Millie, you must be bored. We're just worried about Dri, did Jeremy tell you what happened?"

"He did and I wasn't happy with what he did, I can't believe he did that. I don't even know the girl and I was annoyed at him"

"You're annoyed with anyone who cheats on anyone, you should have seen what she did Lara. Lara was my ex girlfriend and she cheated on me, we woke up and heading off towards breakfast one morning and Lara was tapped to one of the poles on the grounds completely naked"

"How do you know it was me James?"

"I saw the memory you idiot, I know it was you" Emily and Stefan were laughing, having trouble breathing while Millie had a massive grin on her face.

"What's going on in here and thanks for spying you three?" we turned around to find Dri had found us

"Hey I wasn't spying, I caught those two spying"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were spying on them"

"Actually too much to drink all I can feel right now is your emotions"

"Sure, like I believe that. Hi I'm Adrianna, I'm assuming you're friends with James?" Dri turned and faced Millie

"Yes I am friends with James, I'm Millie. I was the one that told him about your dad teaching Spirit at St Vladimir's"

"How did you know I'm an Ivashkov?"

"I'm an Tarus, I can spot those emerald green eyes anywhere"

"Wait a second, how did you know about the party? You obviously don't live at Court" I noticed Dri look over at me hoping I had told Millie about the party

"Dri, Jeremy is her cousin" Emily spoke softly hoping not to set her off, those two knew her the best and I knew her well enough to know how bad her temper is and how bad it is once she's been drinking.

"Great, just great. I need more alcohol" was all Dri said before she turned and left the room.

"We'll take care of it" Emily grabbed Stefan's hand and pulled him out of the room after giving me a small smile. I was grateful those two could deal with Dri without me, it gave me the chance to catch up with Millie.

"I don't mean to put my foot where it doesn't belong but what was all that about? That Emily girl practically threw herself at me and why Adrianna looked like she wanted to punch something when Emily mentioned I was Jeremy's cousin" I took a seat on the floor and waiting for Millie to join me

"So much has happened Millie and I haven't even been at St Vladimir's for a year, yes I'm the reason behind the Voda being sent to jail and having his Lord title removed but I can't tell you why it's not my place"

"I know what happened, remember Prince Zelkos is my mums uncle. I wasn't given names but from Emily's reaction I'm assuming it happened to Adrianna" I frowned at Millie, I completely forgot she was related to Prince Zelkos it meant she got all the information before it surfaced.

"Yes it did but don't say anything to her"

"I just can't believe you went riffling through that poor girls memories" Millie snapped at me

"I'm sorry but he's my uncle and after seeing her aura every time the two of them were around each other and I was curious. I couldn't help it Millie" I pouted at her, I knew it had worked in the past to soften her up and I just hoped it did this time. I noticed her face soften and I grinned at her

"I hate that that face works so well on me, if he did what he did then I'm glad he is locked up. I just hope you aren't just getting bored and going through everyone else's memories? What about the friends you have now?"

"The friends I have now Millie know what I can do and know that there are times I can't help, they know if they focus on a memory it's like they are shouting at me but they also know I won't tell anyone their secrets. These are the first true friends I made since I've moved schools, when I first started at St Vladimir's all the royals just wanted to be my friend because of who I was but these people don't care who I am or even about my abilities"

"I'm sorry James I just, well you know how I feel about this stuff"

"I know Millie" I leaned over and put an arm around her shoulder.

She hated that I found out my girlfriend was cheating on me because of my abilities and I had found out some dark secret about her family but it turned out for the better anyway. Her family had been closer ever since her dhampir brother had been found.

It wasn't like it wasn't common practise for Moroi men to go off and have flings but most of the time it was the single Moroi that did it, Millie's dad had gone off and gotten a dhampir female pregnant.

"Come on, let's go find your friends and stop talking about such depressing topics" Millie flashed me a smile as she stood up and left the room hoping I would follow her.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**To the Guest reviewer who wants to see Rose's reaction to what I'm assuming is when she finds out about Dri and Nikolaus having sex. I can assure you, you will see both her and Dimitri's reaction in later chapters. Also thank you for reviewing.**


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

Adrianna POV

I needed to talk to Rose but I needed to do it without Dimitri around, I wanted to know how she felt after what happened with her and Dimitri. I hoped that by heading to the small gym the Guardians had here at Court she would be alone and I could talk to her in private, I knew she would be mad but I hoped she would still be on my side.

I entered the gym and found Rose in there alone, she was over at the punching bag but something seemed off about her.

"Rose are you alright?" she stopped mid punched and turned to face me

"Yeah I'm fine, just been worried about you. Adrian told me what happened in Melbourne last night"

"What did he say?" I was a little worried, I had no idea if Shane kept to his word and not told anyone or if Nikolaus said something. I know he has been hanging around Court since we got back but I hadn't seen him

"That you ran into Jason, he had no idea about anything, he said you and Nikolaus got into a fight about something and after reading the wills you wanted to come home early. What happened?"

"Which part?"

"Whatever you came here to talk to me about"

"What makes you think I'm here to talk to you about something happened? I do have friends, for all you know I came here to ask for some training"

"You want to train, fine on the mats" Rose pointed towards the mats

"Alright fine I wanted to talk about something but none of those things and I do want help with training before I go back to school"

"What do you want to talk about? I can help you, some mornings Dimitri will as well, we can only do the mornings around our schedule"

"That's fine, I wanted to ask more about the lust charm you and Dimitri had to endure"

"What about it?" we both walked over to the mats and took a seat

"How did you cope with it all afterwards, neither of you have told me what happened afterwards. All I've heard is that you were put under the lust charm so Victor could keep you both distracted while he tried to get Lissa out of the Academy" Rose was silent for a minute, I was beginning to think she wasn't going to tell me anything

"It was hard, at first I was confused because Dimitri tried to convince me it was just the charm but I couldn't get him out of my head after that. I had to ask Victor to take it away to take the feelings away but once he said the feelings had to be originally there for the charm to work it made things worse"

"How though? It's what I don't understand, how did it make things harder knowing there was feelings there and that you almost had sex"

"Dri why are you asking these questions, what happened between you and Nikolaus?"

"What makes you think something happened?"

"Adrian said you two were fighting before you got on the plane and then afterwards you two were just silent not saying anything to anyone and then you take off to Emily's for a couple of days"

"Rose it's got nothing to do with it, I'm just curious"

"Well in that case, until I hear what happened between you and Nikolaus I'm not saying a thing"

"Rose..."

"Dri, something happened I can tell something happened. It can't be that bad can it?"

"It's really bad" I was so quiet I didn't even know if she heard me or not

"Dri please tell me what happened"

"Rose, it's really bad. You can't tell anyone, please"

"I'm not making that promise until I know what happened" I looked at her and hoped she would change her mind but when she didn't I turned back to the ground and began fidgeting with the hem of my top.

"So in Melbourne I convinced dad to let me go out to a club with Nikolaus and I convinced Nikolaus to come with me, we both got drunk and then woke up the next morning hung over and naked in my bed. We assume we had sex"

"ADRIANNA!"

"I know, I know alright but please don't tell dad"

"I won't tell your dad but Dri this is bad"

"I know this Rose but I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do when I get back and our sessions start up. We don't even remember what happened, it's why I was asking what was going through your head. I want to know what I could be stuck with, I know I can't remember it but what if something brings it back or something else happens, I just can't. I tried so hard to ignore that it happened but it's so much worse since I can't remember what happened and I'm trying to work out what happened even though I don't want to as well"

"Woah, Dri calm down. This is a completely different situation, you weren't put under a lust charm. You were just both intoxicated, that's all. As for what's going to happen, I'm sorry I can't tell you. The only thing I can say is some situations may make it worse but since you can't remember what did happen you might not have a problem. But as for you trying to remember what happened maybe that's what you need to do, is your friend, the one that's a Lazar, is he able to help you?"

"He offered but you know how taxing Spirit can be"

"I know it can be but he has been in your head before, he might know where to look for your drunken memories. It was just an idea though"

"I know and I have thought about it, I just don't know if I want to put him through that. I swear there are moments where he loses it, he just rambles on about stuff and I don't know what to do. What was Lissa like when Spirit became too much"

"She got angry, you're dad was sort of like what you're explaining but I didn't know him before his Spirit manifested so I can't be 100% sure"

"But dad seems fine now though"

"Yes now he does but he doesn't use it anywhere near as much as he did then. He rarely heals, rarely sees aura's, Dri he keeps it all under control. He wants to stay sane for the sake of you and your brothers, Lissa's the same because of the twins"

"I guess but I can't expect James to do this, I don't want him to lose it"

"You won't know unless you ask and he must know you do want to know"

"Alright so everything aside, what do I about the whole Nikolaus and I thing when school starts up. I have to continue my sessions otherwise I won't graduate, I need to be up to par by the time field experience starts otherwise I can't participate"

"I know, you're dad told me. Apparently Alberta told him"

"I knew there was always the possibility that I wouldn't get placed with a Moroi, I always assumed I would be placed at either an academy or here at Court. I thought it would be better for me anyway, I would be more than willing to protect a home then someone I don't know"

"This comes back to how you weren't raised in this world doesn't it?"

"It does, I can't wrap my head around the whole they come first concept"

"It doesn't surprise me, look I know what it means to almost lose the chance to graduate with your friends. I will help you over your break but I can't exactly help you with the Nikolaus thing, you need to work out if you want to remember it and then figure out what to do from there. My situation is different because I did have feelings for Dimitri, I'm assuming you don't have feelings for Nikolaus?" that last bit shocked me, I hadn't really thought about it and I didn't want too. I knew it had to have been hard for them once everyone found out it started when she was his student.

"Haven't really thought about it" I shrugged not looking at her

"I get it, you don't want to think about it. Look I suggest talking to Mr Lazar and see what you can remember but until you decide if there are or aren't feelings there for Nikolaus, I'm of no help Dri"

"Thanks I guess" I didn't look at her as I stood and headed for the exit.

I know I had asked for help training but that was the last thing I wanted to do right now. Her words were stuck in my head, did I have feelings for Nikolaus and I needed to decide if I wanted to find out exactly what happened that night.

When I finally made it back to Emily's I found her and Stefan sitting in the kitchen having breakfast.

"You were up and out early this morning"

"Yeah I went to find Rose, I hope I didn't wake you Em"

"Nah it's fine, Stefan heard you leave as well so as soon as you were gone he came straight into my room and climbed into my bed and bugged me about why you left" I looked over at him and he grinned, of course he wouldn't try and deny it. He was too nosy for his own good the only time he left us alone was when we were talking about boys.

"I went to ask about training"

"Why, we're on holidays" of course they were confused, I hadn't told them about the possibility of not graduating with them

"I'm still trying to catch up, no big deal. I'm sure you both hit the gym while we're on break"

"We do but we don't actively seek out older Guardians to get our asses kicked like you" I shrugged at Stefan. I couldn't tell them why I wanted to train so hard, I didn't even want James to know but he pulled the stupid thing out himself.

"When's James coming round?"

"Not till this afternoon, he said he had a meeting with your dad and the queen. Why?"

"Trying to decide if I want to remember what happened that night with Nikolaus but I want to make sure it won't send him over the edge"

"Are you alright Dri?"

"I have no idea, I've just got all these things floating around in my head. Sometimes he helps me make sense of everything, I'm going to shower"

I spent too long in the shower, I was in there that long that the water went cold. I don't know why I was in the shower so long, I just spaced out. I tried to recall the memory of what happened that night in Melbourne myself but all I could seem to remember was us dancing in the club, nothing that would make me believe we had sex that night.

I found Emily and Stefan sitting in the living room with Jeremy and that Millie girl I met at the party the other night. I think she was his cousin or something; they were just talking about school when I made my way over and took a seat beside Emily on the couch.

"You were in there for a while"

"Sorry Em, just trying to clear my head" I could tell Jeremy wanted to ask what was bothering me, it was instinct for him to ask what was wrong.

"It's fine, we were just talking about school. We are all still curious as to if Stephanie Collins will join us for senior year or go to another academy"

"I think she would go to another academy, I know I would. Look I'm going to go home and see dad and Ellie and maybe Matt and Nate if I want too, I'll see you both later" I gave them both smiles and when I looked over at Jeremy I gave him a small smile before I left the house and headed home.

When I made it home I found Matt and Nate in front of the T.V and Shane was in the corner reading a book, I wondered where Ellie was for Shane to have to babysit them both. I walked over and sat next to him on the couch.

"What made you come home?" he didn't even look up from the book

"Doesn't matter, I need to talk to you" I wanted to know what he meant by the severity of what I did with Nikolaus, it had been bugging me but until now I didn't want to talk to him about it again

"What do you need Shane to help bail you out off?" Matt looked over at me and grinned

"None of your business, go back to your movie" I looked over at Shane. "They will be alright if we go in the other room, it's not like they can burn the house down from the living room"

"Fine" he closed his book and got off the couch. I followed him into the kitchen, when we were in there neither of us said anything.

"Why do you want to talk to me?"

"What did you mean when you said I don't understand the severity of what happened when you were trying to talk to me about when Nikolaus and I had sex?"

I watched him as he stay silent, he was obviously trying to find the right words. I learnt early on that when people do this it usually means that they didn't mean what to say originally.

"He's your teacher, what do you think will happen once it gets out that you two had sex"

"That's not what you meant and you know it"

"I don't know what you're on about Dri but Nikolaus is your teacher, you shouldn't have had sex with him"

"I know this okay, it was stupid and it won't happen again but what do you know. What did you two talk about that morning?"

"I asked him what happened, he told me neither of you remembered but you both assume you had sex"

"That's bullshit and you know it! You know something and I sure as hell know James knows something but he won't tell me because he's not meant to know"

"Dri I don't know anything, we only spoke for five minutes max before you came out of the bathroom"

"I don't believe you"

"Dri come back here" I heard Shane try and get my attention but I ignored him as I left the kitchen and headed towards my bedroom.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**LilianGrace thank you for reviewing, it's fine at least you reviewed this time. Here is Rose's reaction, I hope you like it. I want it to seem like that Rose is always on Dri's side no matter what happens to her or what she does, Rose is mad about what happened but also supportive but unfortunately Dimitri's reaction isn't for another few chapters.**

**GwennyDee thank you for always reviewing, yes he is much more relaxed. I had always planned for him to be like this but I had to make him comfortable around Dri and the rest of her friends but since I had skipped over the last few months of the school year you don't get to see how James fitted in with everyone once he was accepted and how he came out of his shell. But yes you would expect that comment from Stefan but it's because Stefan and James have become closer, before Jeremy and Dri dated it was Stefan and Jeremy that were close, James slipped into Jeremy's spot in the group. I couldn't help myself I had to put it in, after his comments about Dri's legs and what not it just felt right. Yes I was really thinking about who I wanted James to be and then I was wondering as to who his best friend would be and I came up with Millie and her wicked streak, I actually the pole thing in a few T.V shows and thought it would be a laugh.**


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

Adrianna POV

"Now if I was a shitty friend I would assume you are staring at the ceiling because it was interesting but since I'm a good friend I know that you are staring at the ceiling because you can't decide what you want" I looked over and saw James leaning against the door frame of my room.

"You're the nosy friend who peaked into my head to find out why I'm staring at the ceiling, how did you know I was here?"

"For one the meeting with your dad and the queen took place here, Shane said you had come home and I also had a message from Emily. She's worried"

"I think she might be a little hurt because I wanted to talk to you instead of her and Stefan but truth be told, I wanted to leave because Jeremy and that Millie girl were there"

"What have you got against Millie?"

"Both of them crashed our Court party, I get it technically you crashed as well but you don't understand what it's like for us Court kids. Our parents pretty much ignore us, whether we are Moroi or Dhampir. We stick together and that's where the parties come into it, any issues we have at our academies between other Court kids gets pushed aside. We don't act like best friends but we don't also cause any issues, if you didn't notice, Toby and Clarke were at the party"

"I noticed they were at the party and I understand that Court kids stick together, it makes sense. I told you who Millie was, don't you remember that?"

"Oh come on I got incredibly drunk after running into Jeremy, I don't remember surely you were feeling the effects of my hung over the next day?"

"Don't remind me, the three of you were all hung over I felt horrible. But Dri, Millie was the one that convinced me to move to St Vladimir's"

"It sounds vaguely familiar..."

"Dri, just because she's Jeremy's cousin it doesn't mean she isn't a good person. She convinced me to move to St Vladimir's so I could learn from your dad and learn how to control Spirit, she was worried about me but look at the other benefits of me moving"

"You're right, you met me" I grinned at him

"Funny but no I meant how we got Michael put in jail" I turned away from him and back at the ceiling.

I hadn't told anyone about my concerns to do with Michael, I had heard of people breaking out of prisons before and I was terrified Michael was going to do it. I didn't want him out not after what happened in court.

Lissa had just declared him guilty and sent him to jail, the Guardians were leading him out but when he got to where I was sitting with Dimitri he stopped and looked at me.

"You can't get away with this Adrianna" I instantly tensed up, I didn't want to talk to him. I just wanted him to be taken away so I didn't have to deal with him anymore, I didn't want to be constantly worried about him doing something and I didn't want to be constantly scared.

"She hasn't done anything wrong, you were the one that did something wrong" Dimitri spoke while standing up, instantly intimated Michael.

"I will get you for doing this Adrianna" he narrowed his eyes at me just as the Guardians were pulling him away.

I didn't hear anything Dimitri said after that, I was instantly worried about what Michael could do to me from jail. I thought him being in jail would get rid of my worry and stop me from being scared but now I was just scared about what would happen.

"I'm sure he was just bluffing Dri" James' voice pulled me back to reality and I could feel him join me on my bed.

"Sometimes I wonder how different my life would be if you never moved to St Vladimir's, aside from Michael anyway. I just wonder how different it would be without a friend constantly peaking into my head"

"You would be bored"

"Not really, I would be happy knowing one of my friends isn't constantly peaking in my head" I gave him a slight shove.

"But seriously, are you alright?" I looked over at him and he looked generally concerned

"What you don't know for yourself?" I snapped at him and I when I saw how hurt he looked I instantly felt bad.

"I do, a lot of the time I do but I ask so you don't know how much I know"

"Sorry I didn't mean to snap at you, I'm just confused"

"I know Dri, what do you want to talk about?"

"Let's say if you did try and recover my drunken memories how badly would it affect you?"

"That's what you're worried about? Not what I could find?"

"I'm serious James, I know Spirit effects people. I don't want it to affect you"

"Dri I have no idea how bad it could be, I could easily find the memories or it could take me a little bit longer"

"How much, as there are moments I'm incredibly curious about what happened that night but I don't want you to lose it"

"The only time I have truly been close to losing it was that day in the headmistresses office, I went from showing Queen Vasilisa your memories to sitting through going through everyone's emotions and then Michael's memories just to give her something from him"

"How bad was it?"

"I don't remember, I remember mum telling me the next morning that she was worried about me but I don't remember what I did, I don't remember how I acted. I don't remember anything after leaving the office, as soon as I shut off spirit everything blacked out"

"James that's really bad, I don't want that to happen again"

"Dri if you want to know what happened that night I will do this for you but if it will make you feel better I promise I won't spend hours in your head?"

"It would make me feel better but how about a day when you didn't spend the morning in a Spirit meeting with dad and Lissa?"

"I didn't even do anything, they were trying to read emotions and looking at memories. Scouts honour" James put his right hand over his chest and grinned at me, I couldn't help but laugh at him

"You are such an idiot sometimes"

"I know, alright do you want me to help or not?"

"I do, thank you. It means a lot" I smiled at him as we both sat up.

I had no idea how long we were sitting there, I didn't realise how weird it would be for the two of us to sit here on my bed not saying anything. After a while I gave up staring at nothing and sat there with my eyes closed.

Eventually it all came flooding back, everything. Us dancing at the club, me having too much to drink, him taking me outside for fresh air, almost kissing him, the slap, kissing him and everything that happened in my bedroom. Oh god remembering how he kissed me, how his hands felt on my body and how he...no I needed to stop this.

I opened my eyes and looked at James, he looked as flustered as I felt. I knew he felt what I felt when he looked through memories and I knew how he felt after seeing that one, I didn't know what was going to happen now.

"Right, so um" I managed to speak not knowing what to say but needing to say something

"Yeah, I think I might go back to the Guest Housing and have a cold shower..." I tried so hard not to laugh at him but I knew the cold shower was a good idea.

"James, look thank you a lot for this. I know we both aren't comfortable right now but it means a lot"

"I know Dri, it's fine. I'm glad you got some comfort about this whole thing but now you need to work out what you feel about the whole thing"

James and I didn't say anything else as he turned and left my room, I knew we were both uncomfortable about what happened. I know I was feeling turned on by remembering everything that happened with Nikolaus so surely he was the same and he even said he was going to have a cold shower, speaking of which I decided I needed the same.

When I was finished with my shower I went back to my room to find Nate and Matt sitting in there.

"What are you to doing in here?"

"We miss you Dri, you've spent the last few days with Emily and Stefan"

"We want to spent some time with you before we have to go back to the academy"

"But all you two do is play video games"

"You love playing video games with us" the both grinned at me and I hung my head. They were right, I loved playing video games with them both even though they always kicked my ass.

"Alright fine, we can play video games tonight. I just have to ring Emily and then I will come downstairs?"

"Thanks Dri" they both grinned as they jumped off my bed and ran out of my room.

I picked up phone and searched through looking for Emily's number to ring her.

_"Oh look who finally wants to talk now"_ I could tell she wasn't annoyed, she was just worried like James had said

"I'm sorry Em, I just wanted to get out there. I didn't want to talk to Jeremy or Millie, I'm still trying to work out everything in my head that happened with Nikolaus"

_"I know and honestly it's fine, I know how much easier it can be to talk to James. He can pull the conversation out of your head without trying to find the words to make it easier"_

"Exactly but I honestly didn't expect to talk to him straight away"

_"It's fine, I only messaged him with the hope of him finding you since I couldn't exactly kick Jeremy out of my house. You know we're not trying to take sides"_

"I know and it's fine, you can all be friends with Jeremy and I promise when school starts I will try with him again"

_"It's fine, did James talk to you?"_

"He did actually, he also helped me remember what happened that night" I had to pull my phone away from my ear while Emily squealed into the phone

_"We have to talk about this!"_

"Can't tonight, I promised Nate and Matt I would spend the night with them tonight. Another time I promise"

_"Fine, I guess this can wait till tomorrow. Bye have fun with the devils you call brothers"_ she hung up and I couldn't help but laugh, she didn't understand how I still loved my brothers even though they annoyed me to no end, I guess it came back to her having no siblings.

I ended up spending the night playing video games with Nate and Matt, at some point we had convinced dad to join us. Ellie had come home to witness dad and I yelling at the tv while Nate and Matt were rolling on the floor in laughter and tears in their eyes.

When Ellie realised what was going she shook her head at us before heading into the kitchen to start on dinner leaving the four of us alone with our video games.

I was rudely woken up by having someone jump on my top off me, assuming it was one of my brothers I picked up my pillow and aimed it at them but the fact that they managed to grab it made me realise it wasn't Matt and/or Nate.

I managed to sit up and see Emily on my bed, I frowned at her and see grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"You my dear have some explaining to do" I groaned and laid back on my bed, I had in fact spent the last couple of days ignoring and avoiding Emily. I knew she wanted to everything about what happened the night Nikolaus and I had sex but I was still yet to work out what I wanted to tell her.

"What do I have to explain?"

"You have been avoiding me, I want know what happened with Nikolaus" she crawled over and laid down beside me in my bed

"Do you really or is it more you want to know what he looks like naked?"

"That too but since James can't share memories with non Spirit users I have to deal with you telling me every intricate detail"

"Everything you imagine his body to be, it's ten times better than that" I looked over at her and the smile that was on her face, well I didn't exactly want to know what she was thinking.

"How was the sex?"

"You have got to be kidding me" I put my hands over my face to hide the blush that was coming up.

It's weird to think the same girl who was nervous around guys that she liked was asking me how the sex was with our hot teacher. It's like she hadn't had sex because she had, her and Jason one of the other novices had in fact had sex had a party not long after last Christmas. For once she wasn't nervous around a guy and it caused Stefan and I to watch her throughout the whole party. It turned out the only reason she wasn't nervous was because she had no feelings towards the guy, Stefan and I were proud of her. After three years of trying to tell her that harmless drunk hook ups were in fact harmless and a bit of fun, she finally joined us except taking it one step further than me by having sex with him.

"Oh come on Dri it can't have been that bad otherwise you wouldn't be so worried about telling me"

"Yes because you were so eager to jump at the gun to tell me what sex was like with Jason"

"But I did tell you"

"Yeah a week later, I've still got four days" I stuck my tongue out at her and she frowned

"Please Dri" she whined and I could feel myself caving into her request.

"FINE!" I yelled finally giving in and I hated the triumph look she had on her face

"Perfect now how was it?"

"It was perfect, every time I think back on it I get hot and bothered. Even him kissing me was perfect, so much better than Jeremy"

"Ooo maybe I should find myself an older guardian to have sex with"

"Who would have thought that this time last year you were too nervous to make out guys at a party and now you are thinking about finding an older Guardian to have sex with, oh have you thought about Guardian Dolov, he's pretty cute"

"He's like 50 Dri" she scowled at me

"I meant his son but anyway" it was rare for male dhampir to have children but yet here Guardian Dolov was with a son, who was actually pretty hot except he was only at Court maybe once or twice a year

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about him with the fact that he never visits and he just left Court with the Voda's"

"Then you will have to find someone else" I grinned at her

"Hang on we're getting distracted here, I thought we were talking about you and Nikolaus having sex" damn it, she knew what I was trying to do. I was trying to distract her and she will forget about asking me questions.

Either way we ended up spending the morning in my bed with me answering all the questions she could come up with. The only reason we stopped was because Nate came and joined us in my bed asking what was so funny, Emily and I shared a look before we started laughing causing Nate to pull a face at us before running off yelling for dad.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**LilianGrace thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you liked the 'ADRIANNA' part. I'm a little excited to post Dimitri's reaction because I want to see how everyone reacts to it but I can't move it up in the story so I'm a little bummed. Yes Adrian will find out but I have no idea how or when or what happens since I have not planned it out yet, I have a feeling it will be one of the more difficult chapters for me to right.**

**Gabergirl thank you for reviewing and it's fine I can completely understand. I had some intense motivation to write chapters over the last week since school work is light loaded at the moment and since I'm so many chapters ahead I have absolutely no problem updating a bit more frequently. I'm glad you loved the last three chapters, I wanted her to be willing to speak to an adult and I figured why not Rose and what she went through. I'm glad you liked Millie, unfortunately she will pretty much disappear from the story when they go back to St Vladimir's but I promise she will make a return eventually.**


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

To be read when you meet your father

_Adrianna_

_I know you would be at least 18 when reading this but I don't know if you could be older or not, for all I know you never read this. I just hope your father had found you before it was too late._

_If for some reason you are reading this out of curiosity since you haven't met your father his name is Adrian Ivashkov and he was American. I didn't know much about his life in American and he didn't know much about my life here in Melbourne._

_When I met Adrian, I was out with a group of friends and we all noticed him across the side of the bar. My friends thought it would be better if I was the one to go talk to him, something about it being too long since I last had sex. I look back at that night and am thank full to my friends for pushing me to go over and introduce myself to him._

_The rest of the summer was a whirlwind and it ended far too quickly, at the start he said he was only planning on staying until Christmas. He mentioned something about not being able to hide from his past forever but he decided to stay, he said there was something about me that drew him in._

_Don't get me wrong, I did love Adrian but I wasn't in love with him. I hope more than anything that he went back home and was able to find someone to fall in love with and start a family that one day you could join. I hope that you were given a family that you deserve to have._

_If I could go back and change anything about that summer, the only thing I would change is the rule we had about not telling each other about our lives. That is my regret, my only regret because it means I can't inform him about you. Surely you know by now I didn't need his money, I just wanted him to be a part of your life. To see every little milestone as your grow up that I miss out on, he shouldn't miss out on it as well._

_If for some strange reason Adrian is in your life and you hate him, please don't. Learn to love him as your father, I'm sure he is only doing his best. It can be hard raising a teenage girl, I know I was a handful for my parents. He might freak out the first time you bring a boy home, when he finds out your having sex or boys aside you're too much of a trouble maker and I apologize for that, that may be my genetics coming through._

_Don't push Adrian out of your life or the family that he may have, remember that they are your family. Just because you didn't grow up with someone doesn't mean they can't be there for you when you need them the most._

_Please don't ever forget that I want the best for you and I hope that Adrian is in your life, love him and forgive him for the mistake he may have made previously and for the ones he may continue to make._

_I love you Adrianna_

Adrianna POV

I smiled at the letter, this was the first one I had read and I didn't know why I chose this one when there were a couple of others I could read as well. She had tried to cover all her basis, most likely assuming I would hate him since he wasn't around from the beginning. But I did love dad, sometimes I think it's more because I was grateful he took me away from the horrible life I had of moving from foster home to foster home and he had introduced me into the family he had made. He had given me two little brothers that I adored no matter how much they drove me crazy.

I got off my bed and headed downstairs looking for dad, I had no idea if he was still in his meeting with Lissa and James or even if they were elsewhere. Most of the house was empty, Ellie had taken Matt and Nate somewhere. As much as they loved us, they hated coming home. There weren't many other kids at Court around their age so there wasn't many people for them to play with, I was too old and the twins were too young.

I ended up knocking on his office door, it was opened and I could see was he alone. He looked up and smiled at me and I headed in.

"Here I thought you might want to read this" I handed the letter over

"What is it?"

"The letter marked to be read when you meet your father" he grabbed it and read it. I sat there in silence as he read it, he was smiling at some points and shaking his head at others.

"I don't think she knew how much of a trouble maker I was, if she knew she would know you were doomed from the start. But why are you showing me this?"

"I honestly don't know, I just thought you would like to read it"

"Oh god please tell me this isn't your way of telling me you're having sex?"

"Oh yes actually it is, I'm having sex with James" I raised an eyebrow at him before laughing. It was then I wondered, with everything he did when he was my age. How would he actually react to finding I had sex with Nikolaus, would he be annoyed because he is my teacher or would he just be annoyed that I'm having sex?

"Dri seriously, why did you want me to read this?"

"It was about you, I thought you would want to know what mum thought about you"

"I know what she thought, I received a letter from her years ago. Informing me about you Dri"

"Oh, I didn't know that"

"How did you think I found out about you?"

"I dunno the detective told you I existed"

"Far from it, the detective handed the letter over and it was in the letter"

"You aren't worried that I secretly hate you?"

"There are times yes but you're still here. You're 18, you don't have to stay here, you don't even have to stay at St Vladimir's anymore. I didn't even push for you start there, you wanted too, you wanted to be introduced into this world that you missed out on"

"Because I wanted a life completely different to the one I had, it wasn't until I started here that I realised it felt right. Mum couldn't have known about the upbringing I had, she wouldn't want that for me"

"No she wouldn't, I hate that you had that upbringing. I wish I could have found you sooner"

"Not all the families were that bad, some of them were nice. They just didn't want a troubled child" I frowned before looking down at the ground

"Dri you know I wouldn't want you any other way, I love you for you"

"Oh so if you hear about me getting busted for more parties when I'm back at school you won't be mad" I grinned at him and he shook his head

"I swear if you tell the boys that they can throw parties when they reach the senior campus I will be angry"

"I don't have to tell them, apparently the junior students know that when you reach the senior campus its parties every weekend"

"How do you know that?"

"Emily and Stefan told me, also Matt and Nate also know about the party we all had for my birthday last year"

"How did they find out?"

"Oh come on dad that party was huge, everyone knows about it"

"Both of those boys cause enough trouble without you teaching them"

"But I haven't taught them anything, what if I teach them how to successfully sneak out of the dorm?"

"You get caught by Nikolaus every time"

"Not every time, there are times where I go out one of the back doors and the dorm matron doesn't even realise"

"Why don't you do that every time?"

"Sometimes I need someone to talk to and I know if I sneak out Nikolaus will turn up" I shrugged at him

"You won't teach them how to sneak off"

"Fine I'll teach them how to throw a decent punch" I grinned again but I could tell he was getting annoyed

"Adrianna" he warned me and I knew I was reaching his limits

"You always say I need to spend more quality time with Matt and Nate"

"Why can't you play videogames with them like you normally do?"

"Yes and what happened the last time I played videogames with them for too long?"

"Right, we had to go out and buy a new T.V"

I didn't mean to throw the controller at the T.V I was annoyed and it slipped from my hand. Needless to say Matt and Nate thought it was the funniest thing in the world, dad was shocked and Ellie started yelling at us. Even when Shane came in, asked what happened and laughed once the story was told to him.

"Dri you just have to learn how to control your temper when playing with them, you and I both know that they spend way too much time on that thing. We will always lose when we play them"

"I know I know but it still doesn't change the fact that they shouldn't gloat like that and plus it was a new game, they hadn't even played it before"

"It doesn't matter Dri, you know they like to bait you"

"I know dad"

"Are you ready to go back to St Vladimir's next week?"

"Nope"

"How are things between you and Nikolaus?"

"Haven't seen or spoken to him since we got back. I figured he had been staying in the Guardian guest housing, you know it's on the other side of the grounds to our house"

"Yes but you do go down there every morning to train with Rose and Dimitri, surely you would have seen him at some point. Even Emily and Stefan live down there"

"Nope, I train with them and then come back up here. As for Emily and Stefan, well we either stay inside or go to the shops. There are plenty of people"

"What happened between the two of you?"

"We just had a fight and he kept bugging me about it"

"Does this have anything to do with the hickeys?" I shrugged not really knowing what to tell him. "So he caught you making out with a human and yelled at you for it?"

"Sure and what's so bad with making out with a human, it's not like I'm a Moroi and have to be careful"

"I'm not saying that you have to be, I don't know why he yelled at you Dri"

"Yeah well until next week I'll most likely keep avoiding him"

"Dri you don't have feelings or anything towards him do you?" I stared at him, had he actually thought of this as a possibility and what was with everyone asking me this lately?

"No" it wasn't a lie as such, I just hadn't thought about it.

"You sure?"

"Yep, I'm going to go find Emily"

I got up and left his study, I went in there to talk to him about mum and it ended up with him asking if I felt anything towards Nikolaus, everyone had been asking me that and I still had no idea. I didn't want to think about it because I knew once I did and it turned out I did have feelings, everything would change, much worse than us having sex has done.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I was torn with how I wanted Rose to take it but I've received good reviews so I'm glad I went with what I decided. It will be, it actually works in her favour but more on that when she returns to the academy. As for what Shane is hiding, well unfortunately that won't be revealed for a while but it's not that hard to work out. As you would have read she is still avoiding working out if she has and feelings towards Nikolaus. Yes Dri finally remembers what happened that night, so it will make some interesting chapters once she returns to the academy and yes James is great. I'm glad you laughed out loud about the cold shower comment, in the past I've made comments about how James can feel what Dri does so I could not do it for this as well. I'm glad you liked the 10 times hotter comment.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I can assure you she does work it out soon, only a couple of chapters away actually so hang on.**

**Moulinness**** thank you for your reviews. In terms to your chapter 44 review. I'm glad the letter from Dri's mum made you tear it, it made me tear up when I was writing it. I do plan on writing more of them I've just got to find the right spot to slot them in. Yes I always planned on Nikolaus remembering and you will have to keep reading to see if he admits that he knew or not all along. Your Chapter 46 review about Millie, I'm glad but I'm sorry she won't be returning for a while. Your Chapter 49 review, yes very awkward and poor James but he did know what he was getting himself into by helping her remember the memory. I can assure you it will not ruin their friendship, I have no plans for James and Dri to stop being friends even though there are times where I make Dri yell and scream at him.**

** 2001**** thank you for your review, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are enjoying my story, I try to update as often as I can but with work and school it's hard.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for your review, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you like James and his abilities. I love Matt and Nate there are times I wish I had younger brothers because of them and then I think, maybe not but Matt is 13 and Nate is 10. I'm glad, I had almost forgotten to put that scene in with Emily and Dri but I was reading over the chapter going hang on, it's short and something is missing. So I quickly put it in.**

**To the Guest reviewer that asked what will happen, will Nikolaus come back to the school or leave. I can assure he will return, I don't plan on him leaving Dri any time soon. You will have to wait and see if he regrets his night with Dri, the two of them finally have a real conversation about what happened and that is one of the questions that comes up. No she will not be pregnant because of Spirit but I do like your way of thinking.**


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

Adrianna POV

I was asleep and for once not having nightmares until I was rudely awoken by my two best friends. Emily and Stefan thought it was finally time for payback for when I woke them both up the morning I got back from Melbourne. It was the day we go back to St Vladimir's, Emily and Stefan had both jumped on my bed way to early in the morning for my liking.

The summer break was over and I was both nervous and excited to go back for my senior year, I was excited because it was senior year and there was no much that brought with it. I was nervous because I still hadn't seen Nikolaus since we returned and I had thought about what happened and I couldn't believe I made a move on him but I had still yet to think about what Rose and everyone have been asking, did I have feelings for Nikolaus.

Rose had stuck to her word by training me for the rest of my break and I was grateful, I had really learnt a lot from both her and Dimitri but the first morning I turned up after asking Rose for her insight on the situation and I saw Dimitri standing there talking with Rose I honestly thought he was about to give me a lecture for having sex with Nikolaus but he didn't say a word. It made me wonder as to if Rose had told him or he was just keeping quiet about it but it wasn't till the next day when I caught Rose by herself I was able to ask and she said she hadn't told Dimitri, the way it was said was almost as if there was a 'but' or 'yet' meant to be at the end of her sentence.

"Why did you both decide to wake me up?" I grumbled as I rolled over and sat up so they could sit next to me on the bed

"Well you woke both of us up, it was only fair we got pay back"

"That and your dad organised for us to arrive with you on the royal plane with you and your family so we don't have to go with everyone else"

"That was nice of him even though I still think he is worried I'm freaking out about Michael and why he thinks I left Melbourne" James had let it slip a few days ago that I was worried about Michael in front of both of them but they have been understanding and there for me.

"Dri Michael is not going to be able to do anything from jail"

"Stef people have from escaped prison before, why can't he?"

"We all told you that he wouldn't do anything to hurt you before he was taken away and he didn't, why can't you trust us when we say this?"

"I'm going to go shower, I'm assuming you are also crashing our breakfast?" I didn't let them reply as I got off my bed and headed towards the bathroom to shower.

When I returned to my room I found that they had left and headed downstairs for breakfast, I quickly made sure my bags were packed before taking them downstairs and joining them in the kitchen for breakfast. I don't know why I was surprised to find James sitting there with them having breakfast as well, I should have known if dad put Emily and Stefan on our flight with Christian, the twins and Dimitri then of course he would have put James as well considering he didn't normally live at Court and technically had no way to St Vladimir's.

"I should have known, thanks Ellie" I grabbed the plate of waffles from Ellie and joined the table sitting next to James

"Yes you should have" James gave me a smirk before returning to his conversation with dad.

James and dad were talking about Spirit which would have had put us all to sleep if we didn't have our own conversations, Nate and Matt were talking to Ellie about school and how she wished they would stay out of trouble while Emily and Stefan were talking about our novice classes.

I knew looking around the table I was going to miss this, ever since I stopped living at Emily's and came home her, Stefan and James had been spending a fair bit of time here as well. Dad and Ellie said they didn't care about my friends always being here, in fact they hoped that Matt and Nate could make some friends but there were no other kids around their age that lived at Court except for the twins but they were still two years younger than Nate.

James leaned over and gripped my knee, when I looked up he gave me a reassuring smile. There was times where I hated that he could feel what I was feeling but there were other times I was grateful, it means I didn't have to explain what was going on my head.

We made it through breakfast quickly enough and then both dad and Ellie told us it was time to head down to the runway and get on the plane, this flight was earlier than usual because Lissa wanted to see the twins off for the school year and decided it would be easier to see the twins off before everyone else arrived at St Vladimir's.

When we made it on the plane Stefan and Emily were shocked by it, they must have thought it was just going to be similar to a normal commercial plane and not like it was, the private plane that wasn't cramped and had plenty of room. James and I laughed as Emily and Stefan pretty much ran down to the plane heading for the group of seats so the four of us could sit together.

I went down and joined them after saying hello to Lissa, Christian and the twins. Dimitri and Rose had yet showed themselves for some reason. I went down and sat on Stefan's lap since James was lying out across my seat.

"Is this necessary Dri?"

"Yes because James is lying across my seat, so what was the hushed conversation you and Emily were having at breakfast?"

"Oh we were discussing what we thought was going to happen this year..."

"Shut up!" Emily leaned over and hit Stefan across the arm.

I had no idea why Emily was trying to shut Stefan up until I noticed James sit up in his seat and indicated for me to move and sit next to him. I had no idea what he was going on about but it was when Stefan gave a slight push against my back that I did what they were both suggesting and got up off his lap and moved into my seat next to James.

"So what were you saying Stefan?" I hoped he would tell me but he wasn't listening, instead he was looking behind me, so was Emily and when I looked over at James he was concentrating on something.

Curious as to what caused my friends to shut up, I sat up in my seat and turned around to notice Nikolaus walking down the plane, I shrunk back in my seat hoping he didn't notice me and looked at my friends hoping more than anything that they would stop staring at him.

I had no idea what to say to Nikolaus, I knew he was still at Court since we got back from Melbourne because he didn't have anywhere else to go. There wasn't a way for him to get back to St Vladimir's without paying for his own ticket but since he wasn't needed he hung around Court and did some patrols when it was needed.

"Stop watching him" I whispered at them hoping they could hear me and they would turn back to me

"Sorry..." they both apologized when they finally turned back to look at me

"It's fine so who is the one person you are hoping you don't get paired with for field experience?"

"Oh god, I haven't even thought about that. But imagine if Lindsay got paired with either Belle, Jeremy or Lucas, they all hate her as much as we do"

"Oh that would be hilarious because then she will have to hang out with us"

"No she won't Em, it all depends on who we get paired with but hopefully and I mean hopefully in our main group there is three Moroi and three dhampirs, sometimes Carter and Lucas join us. So hopefully we all get paired together"

I sat back and listened to the conversation Emily and Stefan had about field experience, I still didn't know if I was going to be participating but at least it got them away from the topic of Nikolaus, I had no idea where he sat down.

I was confused when my phone went off, I honestly thought I had already turned it off. When I pulled it out I noticed I had a message from Rose.

_Dri, I honestly had no idea he was going to be on our flight otherwise I would have told you. I will talk to you when we land at St Vladimir's but I'm down the front if you need to talk at any point._

"Who was that from?" I turned my phone off and put it back in my pocket

"Rose, I'll tell you later" everyone took it as a sign meaning it was about Nikolaus.

The three hour flight between Court and St Vladimir's dragged on, ever since seeing Nikolaus on the plane I haven't been up for conversation. I paid attention to the one the rest of my friends were having and it was the basics surrounding what they thought was going to happen this year and there was still the debate about whether or not Stephanie Collins would be joining our senior class this year.

"Are you alright?" James spoke softly

I nodded at him, at some point during the flight I had rest my head against his shoulder since this killer headache appeared. I was used to flying but this headache was a killer and being up early this morning didn't really help. I literally wanted to get to St Vladimir's and go straight to my dorm so I could get some sleep.

We finally made it to St Vladimir's my headache had only gotten worse, I didn't say anything to my friends as I got up and head off the plane to wait for my bags before heading straight to my dorm. I know Rose wanted to talk and if she still did she knew where my dorm was and could find me there. I quickly said goodbye to everyone who I wouldn't be seeing regularly at my part of the campus or would be going back to Court.

I was in the middle of unpacking when there was a knock on the door. "It's open" I yelled out knowing full well it would be Rose.

"Are you feeling alright sweetie?" I turned around to find both Rose and Lissa standing there.

"Yeah I'm fine Lissa, I've just got a killer headache. I will be fine once I get some sleep after I've finished unpacking"

"Alright, I just came to check on you. I noticed you were awfully quiet and I barely got a goodbye, I will see you at Christmas. I have to go say goodbye to Andre and Eric, Rose I will see you back on the plane?" Rose nodded at Lissa as she worked over and kissed my cheek before giving me a hug.

"I'm sorry Lissa, of course I will see you at Christmas, I wouldn't miss it. Love you"

"Love you too Dri" Lissa gave me a small smile as she left my room and Rose went and took a seat on my bed.

"So what did you want to talk about Rose?"

"I wanted to make sure you would be fine this year with Anastas after everything that happened"

"No idea but I will find out when my sessions with him start up again"

"Dri you know I can pull some strings to have someone else come here and take your sessions"

"It's fine honestly, you don't have to do that. He said he doesn't remember what happened, it's only me that remembers so as long as I don't freak out to make him think otherwise I'm sure we will be fine"

"Alright well let me know if you change your mind, please just be careful this year. You don't want it to get out that you two had sex, I know you haven't worked out if there are feelings there or not but please don't get caught up in your sessions. I know how it can be, one moment you're sparring and the next minute you're pinned to the floor trying to fight the temptation to kiss him"

"I know and it's worse because I made the first move, I kissed him and I was the one that pulled him to my bedroom"

"Why am I only learning this now?"

"Because I was worried about what you would say about it"

"Look I have to go and get on this plane so Lissa can get back before everyone else starts arriving, please don't hesitate to call me if you any issues any Anastas"

"I promise Rose"

"Good, please behave this year, I love you" I laughed at her

"Like that would happen, love you too" she came over and hugged before leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I finished packing before curling up in bed hoping to an hour or two sleep before meeting up with my friends this afternoon.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I have to say, your reviews always make me laugh but it's good and I love it because it makes my morning better when I wake up to them. But yes Dri is starting to get annoyed by everyone asking her what she feels towards Nikolaus, as for what happens well I'm sorry you'll just have hang on a few more chapters.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked the letter, I'm glad you imagine Adrian saying because there are times when I'm writing and I'm like hang on, is this actually something they would say? I'm glad I could make your day. The videogame story, would you believe I've actually seen this? Except they weren't angry, just drunk, it was the funniest thing in the world to see and we were rolling on the laughing because of how funny it was. I know I can't believe I've uploaded 51, well 52 now, chapters and I've written even more.**

**GwennyDee**** I'm glad you liked the letter from Dri's mum. I admit it was a little weird but I hope you liked it either way. I know I've had my parents do the same thing to me in the past and thought Adrian would do the same thing. Don't worry Dri is getting there, she will think about it eventually. I just love how everyone already assumes that Dri feels something towards him.**


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52**

Adrianna POV

I woke up and rolled over to turn my alarm off, today was the first day of classes which also meant the start of my sessions with Nikolaus. I didn't know if I had one this morning since I had pretty much stayed to my dorm or with my friends trying not to make eye contact with him whenever he walked past us, I also didn't know if I was ready for these sessions to begin again. I still hadn't worked out what everyone kept asking me, did I have feelings towards him?

I reluctantly got up, got dressed and headed towards the gym, I took the long way hoping the later I got there the shorter our session would be. I know I told him that everything would be fine once the new school term started and it most likely would have been true if I didn't get James to bring up the memories for me to remember.

I entered the gym and found Nikolaus over by one of the punching bags, punching it causing it to swing like crazy. I took a deep breath and walked over to him dropping my stuff along the way.

"I'm surprised you showed up" Nikolaus turned around and faced me mid punch. Seeing him now, standing in front of me brought back all the memories I was trying to push aside

"Why wouldn't I? I want to graduate with my friends and the first step is to train so I can be at the same level as them and be allowed to participate in field experience"

"Are we going to talk about what happened?"

"Nope, we both agreed we would go back to how things were and act like it never happened. That includes talking about it"

"No Dri, you said that we would. I didn't get a say in any of this"

"Why does it matter? We have to make it through the year and with you trying to talk about it every session is just going to make it worse than what it is"

"Dri you wouldn't even acknowledge me on the flight here"

"I had a headache, now are we going to train or are you going to try and keep talking?"

"Fine, on the mats then, I want to see what you remember" I knew this would be him trying to punish me for not wanting to talk about it but I was hoping that my training with Rose and Dimitri would shock and surprise him.

I was making this session hard for him, I could tell he was really focusing on trying to test me. He obviously thought I had spent the rest of my summer goofing off with my friends and not training, apart from training with Rose and Dimitri I had even asked Shane a couple of times as well as sparring with both Emily and Stefan.

There were a small number of moments I was able to get the upper hand on Nikolaus but I was only able to pin him once and it was only because at the exact moment I dodged a punch I was able to kick his legs out at the same time. I instantly thanked both Rose and Dimitri for teaching me how to do that because the look on his face when I had him pinned was incredible.

The session was almost finished and we were both slightly out of breath but neither of us moved and the longer we stayed like that the more awkward it got.

"Sorry..." I spoke quickly as I got up off him and walked over to where my drink bottle was sitting and grabbed it.

"You trained over the break didn't you?"

"I did, I asked Rose to help me but of course Dimitri was there most mornings as well"

"You did well and I defiantly underestimated you. That trick you did to drop to the floor and kick my legs out when you dodged my punch was amazing and actually hurt, you actually pinned me Dri. I honestly didn't think you would have picked anything up over break"

"I told you, I want to graduate with my friends and I'm determined to do it. I knew I would have gotten there eventually, you aren't perfect" I smirked at him and he shook his head at me.

"You will, you will get there. You just have to keep learning and listening"

"Funny how you didn't say a single thing about my comment about you being not perfect"

"I never once said I was, me being here is proof of that Dri. Now back on the mats, we still have time for one more"

I didn't say anything but walked over to the mats and waited for him to join me. This spar was different, he had obviously been watching me and now had learnt what my new tricks were making it harder for to get the upper hand.

I don't why this happened, it wasn't something he had ever done before but he made a grab for me and pulled me close to him allowing him to then drop me to the ground.

I hit the mat with a thud and a groan and he landed on top pinning me, the position was very similar to the moments in my bed. He had my hands pinned above my head, he was straddling my lap and he his face was closely positioned to mine. I was so tempted to just lean up and close the gap so I could kiss him, I knew it was wrong but that feeling wouldn't go away and it didn't help that neither one of us was moving, we were just staring at each other.

"Please get off me" I spoke softly that he didn't even hear me at first, I had to repeat myself a bit louder the next time.

"Right, sorry" he shook his head as he stood up, he held his hand out for me to grab and help me up and normally I grabbed it no problems but today I didn't, not after that awkward moment.

"I'm assuming were finished now, I should shower and head to breakfast"

"Yes we are, Dri can we please talk about it?"

"I really should go" I went to turn and leave but he grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him, he had placed his hands on my waist to prevent me from leaving.

"Dri, about what just happened, I'm sorry if I freaked you out"

"It's fine honestly, it just felt oddly familiar"

"Are you sure you don't remember what happened that night?"

I couldn't speak, we both said we didn't remember what happened and I did want to tell him I remembered the night. I didn't know what would happen, I knew I couldn't lie to him though so I looked down and shook my head.

There was a small part of me that wished I had still been looking at him when I shook my head so I could see how he reacted to it.

What shocked me was when one of his hands moved from my hip and he placed it under my chin and forced me to look at him. He wasn't angry or annoyed, he was worried and upset.

"When did you remember?" his hand moved from my chin and he cupped my cheek softly stroking it with his thumb

"James brought them forward during the summer..."

"So he's seen them as well" I could only nod at him, I waited for the anger outburst or even the speech about how we were reckless and stupid and that we shouldn't have had sex but it didn't

"Why are we still standing like this?" he must have released what I meant and his hand drop from my cheek and he let go of my waist.

"Sorry, why did you ask him to bring the memories out?"

"Because it was eating me up not knowing what happened, all I could remember was us dancing and then when we woke up the next morning. You were so convinced that you took advantage of me but yet I was the one that kissed you first, I was the one that pulled you into my bedroom. It was all me!" I snapped at him and I stepped back from him and took a seat on the bench

"I know, I've always known" I barely heard him, I looked over at him. Something was bothering him but what was bothering me was that he knew all along what happened that night.

"You knew, you actually remember what happened that night and lied to me about not remembering?"

Nikolaus didn't say anything; he walked over and took a seat beside me. I sat there hoping he would speak but when he didn't say anything, I stood up grabbed my things and left the gym to head to my dorm.

I made it through the day barely speaking to any of my friends, Emily and Stefan tried to get out of me what happened during my session with Nikolaus and it wasn't till our lunch break that James practically grabbed my arm and dragged me away from our friends and asked what was going on in my head. I snapped at him, I was sick of everyone wanting to know what was bothering me. I ended up grabbing lunch and sitting outside away from my friends.

My afternoon classes were a bit quieter, they must have given up bugging me because no one said anything to me about what was brothering me.

In fact it was when my Advanced Calculus class was over that I was debating about whether or not I should go to my afternoon session with Nikolaus, I had no idea what I wanted to say to him after what happened this morning but I knew I couldn't avoid him and I couldn't skip out on sessions, I was determined to graduate with my friends.

When I entered the gym I found it empty, maybe I did the wrong thing by leaving this morning, maybe I should have stayed and heard him out but he wasn't saying anything. I didn't know if Nikolaus was going to turn up or not.

With a sigh I walked over to the mats and sprawled out on the floor with my books, they didn't exactly give us homework on the first day but I figured why not get ahead while I'm waiting for Nikolaus to turn up.

I was reading over my bodyguard theory when I heard the door open, I didn't even bother looking up expecting it to be Nikolaus. I continued reading over the information they covered today while I heard the footsteps getting closer and closer, I decided to play stupid and continued looking at my book until he spoke but he didn't speak. As Nikolaus sat down next to me, he waited a couple of minutes expecting me to speak first.

Nikolaus gave up waiting for me to speak and grabbed my text book that I was reading. I snapped my head up and narrowed my eyes at him but all he did was close the book before placing it back on the ground.

"I'm sorry alright, I'm sorry that I lied to you but that morning you looked so hurt and angry about what happened I didn't know what would happen if you knew the truth"

"You didn't get to decide that, I deserved to know what happened. I deserved to know that I was the one that kissed you and I pulled you into my bedroom"

"I know and I'm sorry I kept it from you, I was more concerned about you worrying as to if I took advantage of you especially after everything that happened with Michael..."

"And I told you I didn't think that, even when I couldn't remember what happened, I didn't think that you did and now knowing what happened I defiantly don't think you did. You pulled away and asked if I was okay with it, you said if I wasn't you would stop"

"I know and I meant that Dri, I didn't want to do something you weren't comfortable with"

"Why did you get drunk that night? Why did you let me kiss you and why the hell did you let me pull you into my bedroom?"

"I don't know why I decided to get drunk but it was because I was drunk that I let those other things happen"

"Do you regret what happened that night?" he stared at me, I couldn't tell what he was thinking at this point in time. There was no emotion visible on his face, he was hiding it from me and I couldn't work out why. Aside from us having sex, him telling me what happened to his brother and why he was sent here it made me feel like we were closer but now I wasn't sure.

"Dri I can't answer that, if I wasn't your teacher than this whole situation would be different"

"Then that's a yes, you regret having sex with me" I leaned over and picked up my book again and opened to the page I was reading before but he pulled it from my grasp again. "Seriously, stop doing that"

"Dri, fine everything aside, I don't regret having sex with you but it can't happen again. I'm your teacher Dri, it shouldn't have happened in the first place. Come on let's work on your conditioning, I doubt you actually homework already" he stood up and headed towards the doors indicating we were running laps outside.

"I don't regret it either, if you're wondering" I spoke answering his unspoken question, I knew him well enough to want to know what I thought about what happened.

Nikolaus made no movement or comment to make me think he had heard me but I stood up and followed him outside anyway. I was still annoyed that he kept this from me but I didn't know what to do, I couldn't ignore him and skip out on sessions. It would make everyone realise something is off about the two of us, if I want to act like nothing happened like I kept telling everyone I could do then I had to forget it he hid this from me.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**GwennyDee** **thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes they are now back at St Vladimir's for their senior year and I have a bit planned for it. Yes unfortunate for Dri she won't be able to escape from Nikolaus, that would be partly my fault since Dri and her friends just refer to him as Nikolaus. It was nice except I don't know if it's Lissa being a cool queen or Adrian annoying Lissa into doing it since he was worried about Dri. I can assure you that the next chapter is when Dimitri finally finds out what happens and you just read the first training session with Nikolaus, I hoped you enjoyed it.**

**Moulinness**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes the chapter is coming closer and closer, in fact it's here so I hope you enjoyed it and it was what you had pictured in your head, if not well I hope you still liked it. As in regards to what I'm going to say about Rose and Dimitri being parents, well I can't because I don't know if you have read the Ruby Circle so I will stay quiet on my thoughts about that. I also planned on having Rose and Dri close I just wasn't sure how the relationship between the two of them would come out.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter a lot, I have planned out who gets paired with who for the field experience so it will be interesting. I'm trying to update when I have the time, the more free time I have the more I can write and therefore the more I post, meaning the less I write the less I post but don't stress I promise to post at least once a week. The chapter where she finally admits to if she does or doesn't have feeling towards Nikolaus is coming up.**


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53**

Adrianna POV

Classes had finished for the day and I was heading towards the gym for my afternoon session, my morning session was cancelled and since it was Monday it had been a few days since I had seen Nikolaus since he also cancelled my Saturday session. Normally if he has to cancel them because he is doing guard shifts someone else takes the session, it was only when there was meetings he out right cancels them and I had a feeling he was cancelling them because he was avoiding me since Friday.

I screwed up big during Friday's afternoon session, I was in a bad mood and I took it out on Nikolaus and I feel incredibly bad for it, seeing the hurt flash through his eyes was enough to stop me in my tracks and allow him to storm out without me stopping him.

It wasn't just one thing during the day that put me in a bad mood it was a domino effect ever since breakfast.

I walked into the cafeteria to hear rumours that Jeremy had slept with some Moroi slut the night before and don't get me wrong I wouldn't get back with him and it's been a whole summer since we broke up but there's still something there, something preventing me wrong from completely forgiving him and allowing us to return to being friends. It was the same thing that caused the pain, I honestly thought I was over him especially after what happened during the summer but seeing the guilt on his face when I sat down at the table with our friends was enough to know it wasn't just a rumour.

Classes came about and I got three please see me after class, I couldn't believe I got three. Yes I did get them every now and then especially if there was a big party on the weekend and my studies slipped because of it but I had been trying to so hard this year and getting three in a day was bullshit and I couldn't take it.

When I entered the gym I practically threw my bag against the wall not even realising that it wasn't completely done up and my books were sent flying across the room. I walked over to the closest one and kicked it not even caring that it was my body guard theory textbook.

"What did the textbook do to you?" I heard Nikolaus speak behind me

"It's a fucking piece of subject that help lead to three please see me" I snapped at him as I walked over to the punching bags and began taking my anger out on it.

"Why did you receive three?"

I ignored him, not wanting to answer his question mainly because I didn't know how to answer him. I honestly didn't know why the hell I received three, I honestly thought my tests and papers were good and defiantly didn't deserve the three please see me.

"Dri stop, your hands are bleeding" Nikolaus went to grab my hands to stop me but he didn't even noticed that I was going to kick the bag, so instead of kicking the bag I kicked him instead. I couldn't even be sorry since he got in the way.

I looked down at my hands once he unwrapped them from his and noticed the blood, I had spilt my knuckles. I couldn't even feel the pain, normally when I was punching the bags I tapped my knuckles for this reason and dad was sick of always healing them because of it.

"Sit on the mats and stay there, I'll be back" I stood there staring at the blood staining my hands wondering why I still couldn't feel the pain. "Dri, please sit down. I have to get the first aid kit and patch up your hands" he spoke softly but I didn't move, I heard him let out a sigh as he walked off.

When he came back out and walked over to where I was still standing now trying to wipe the blood off my hands hoping they had stopped bleeding but they hadn't. He grabbed my arm to drag me over to the mats.

"What are you doing?" I ripped my arm out of his hand and he looked at me confused

"Dri you spilt your knuckles open, I need to clean them up so you don't get an infection"

"Why? Why do you always do this, I can just go to dad and get him to heal them"

"You can't run to him every time you hurt yourself"

"Just stop pretending to care, I'm sick of it! I'm sick of everyone pretending to care, why bother. Seriously tell me the fuck why you are still doing this? Why are you still doing these sessions what the fuck do you get out it? Seriously what is your benefit in spending three hours a day with an 18 year old that apparently gets distracted by boys, who is more fucked up than the average 18 year old and you've had to be there through all of it!"

"Are you fucking kidding me? I'm still here because you fucking asked me too, I get absolutely no benefit out of doing these sessions but if you don't want them anymore than fine we won't"

"Good see if I fucking care, I'm sick of you pretending to care about me!"

"You seriously believe I don't care about you?"

"YES!" I snapped at him it was then I took a good look at his face, he looked angry but I could see the hurt in his eyes.

I was shocked by hurting him this bad he was angry at me for it that I didn't know what to do or say. He didn't even say anything, he just turned around and stormed out. I was still shocked that I couldn't even chase after him.

I ended up getting dad to heal my hands only after he made me tell him what happened during my classes to give me the bad mood and also what happened with Nikolaus because even though I had asked dad to heal my hands a number of times in the past Nikolaus always and I mean always cleaned them up beforehand.

Walking into the gym I honestly didn't know if Nikolaus would be here or not, I wouldn't have even been surprised if he wasn't but what did surprise me was the fact that Dimitri was in there as well as Nikolaus and they weren't just standing there talking they were sparring. I had always wanted to see how those would go in a fight against each other, I had sparred against both and wanted to know but this, this wasn't right. Something was off about the fight, it didn't look right.

I walked closer to them hoping to find out why the spar looked wrong when I noticed Dimitri throw a punch aiming for Nikolaus' face. It was then that I realised this wasn't a spar, this was a fight and when Nikolaus spoke he confirmed it.

"I'm sorry alright, it was a mistake"

"A mistake, how could that be a mistake? You were an idiot!" Dimitri threw another punch aiming for Nikolaus' face and this one connected and I couldn't take it anymore, I needed know what they were fighting about.

"What the hell are you two fighting about?" I yelled, neither of them must have realised I entered the room since I surprised both them. They just stared at me neither of them spoke

"Seriously someone tell me now or I will ring Rose and ask why Dimitri is here because I sure as hell know it isn't just for a visit"

"Speaking of Rose..." Dimitri was the one to speak first and it was then I finally got a look at both of them.

Nikolaus actually looked scared and Dimitri couldn't decide if he was angry or disappointed, it wasn't until I realised he said speaking of Rose to give me the hint and I put it all together.

"She told you!"

"She did, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I was worried about what the hell you would do to him. Did you even stay long enough to get the story from Rose or did you take off to Lissa and Christian's as soon as she said so Dri and Nikolaus had sex when they in Melbourne?"

"Dri..." Nikolaus spoke, he could tell I was angry and he hoped to calm me down to not make this worse for him.

"No because I know I'm right, I know he would have taken off going straight to their house and demand for time off so he could come here. I wouldn't even be surprised if he told them as well. I know you didn't stay long enough to hear Rose tell you that I was the one that kissed him, I was the one that pulled him into my bedroom. Dimitri I made the first move not him!" that got him, the anger slipped from his face and he turned and looked at Nikolaus

"If this all true why did you let me think that you took advantage of her?"

"Would you have seriously believed me if I said all of that, I figured it was easier to let you get your anger out and hope she turned up at some point because I knew you would believe her over me"

Dimitri let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck before looking between the both of us. He didn't say anything, I was worried this was going to completely backfire and bite me in the ass. It was in this silence that I actually began to worry about what Dimitri had told Lissa and Christian to come out here and if he had told dad. I knew dad would completely lose his shit if he found out what happened.

"You two actually had sex over the summer, Adrianna made the move and now your fine, acting like nothing ever happened?" Dimitri finally spoke

"Well...we're not exactly fine but we're as fine as we can be"

"What does that mean?"

"What it means was I was coming in here with the full intent on apologizing for what happened the other day"

"Very well, I will speak to you about this later Adrianna" I knew right then and there I was going to get one of the many zen life lessons Rose spoke about.

"Wait, Dimitri what did you tell Lissa and Christian so you could come out here?"

"We'll talk about this later Adrianna" I nodded my head knowing there was nothing I could say to change his mind.

When Dimitri was gone I walked over and took a seat on the bench not even looking at Nikolaus, I was worried that he was going to snap at me and take off as well but I heard him walk over to me before taking a seat beside me, I looked up at him but he was staring off at the other wall obliviously thinking about something.

"I really am sorry for everything I said on Friday, I was in a bad mood and I didn't mean to take it out on you"

"Do you honestly believe I don't care about you?"

"No, as I said I was in a bad mood. I think you do care otherwise why would you be here, I was thinking about it over the weekend. Both you and James said that the patrolling guardians that get sent here only do three years, your three years are up. Why are you still here?"

"I do care about you Dri, I know you want to be able to graduate with your friends and I want to help you to do it. I'm still here because the Guardians in charge of assigning dhampirs to Moroi decided I wasn't ready to go back to guarding Moroi but they also decided I could have a change of scenery if I wanted too. I had the choice to stay here, go to another academy or stay at Court"

"Why wouldn't you stay at Court, surely you have more freedom there then you would here, you could have friends and somewhat of a life at Court"

"Because as I said, I care about you and I want to help you Dri"

"Thank you" I gave him a smile and he gave me one back

"Come on we should at least do something practical this session or should we talk about your three see me on Friday that caused your bad mood?"

I agreed and we talked about the tests and papers that were handed back. I was just glad he assumed that was all that accounted towards my bad mood and he didn't know anything about Jeremy.

It wasn't until after dinner that night when I entered the dorm with my friends that I finally saw Dimitri again, he was sitting there obliviously waiting for me to return. Carter literally stopped in his tracks at the sight of Dimitri, both him and Rose were considered gods among the novices. Everyone had heard about them and had heard how Rose is still the only novice to receive marks before graduating in the last who knows how many years.

Stefan and Emily laughed at Carter for his reaction, they were used to seeing Dimitri around at Court so this wasn't a shock to them at all. They pushed him along and left me to deal with Dimitri alone, once my friends were gone he stood from the seat and headed towards the back staircase to lead me upstairs. I knew without him saying a word that I was expected to follow him so I did.

When we were in one of the unused lounges it didn't take long until he finally spoke.

"Why would you do something so stupid? Surely you have heard enough of the stories about what Rose and I had to go through once people began realising we fell in love when she was my student"

"This has got nothing to do with Nikolaus and I being in love because we aren't. All we did was have sex, what is the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you had sex with him and you made the first move, I thought you were better than that"

"Are you kidding me right now? You can't seriously lecture me on something like this, you and Rose had sex when she was your student!"

"We were in love"

"Stop treating sex like it should be only done with someone you are in love with! Surely it can't be true"

"Adrianna..."

"What, it can't be true considering I was conceived by two people who didn't love each other, I was raped and I know my dad was well known for him partying and sleeping around when he was my age!"

"Fine I won't but seriously what you did was stupid and reckless, why did you kiss him?"

"I was drunk"

"Oh god, seriously Adrian let you go off with him and get drunk?"

"In Australia the legal drinking age is 18, he couldn't stop me" I shrugged at him and the look on his face made me realise that was a mistake

"Adrianna, stop being smart about this and actually have a conversation with me"

"Why, what's the point. You just want to yell at me for what happened, we were both drunk and it happened. We talked about it and we're past it"

"You were both drunk! He was meant to be protecting you!"

"Great, what the hell have I started now" he didn't even hear me, he had stood up and began pacing the room.

"He actually got drunk when he was meant to protecting you, what good Guardian does that?"

"Dimitri please sit down, you were the one that wanted this to be a conversation"

"I can't believe this, you were both drunk and did something so incredibly stupid"

"YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THIS!" I yelled at him and he finally stopped and looked at me

"Did you honestly think Rose wouldn't tell me?"

"I honestly didn't think you would come all the way out here to beat him up, have you told dad?"

"You know how both Rose and I feel about you and no I haven't, I don't know if I should of not"

"I know, you both fill the void of not being able to have children with me and I love you both honestly I do but please don't tell dad'

"You should go find your friends, I have a plane to catch back to Court"

"Dimitri"

"Adrianna seriously, I have to catch a plane back tonight"

"Alright, please don't tell anyone especially dad and give my love to everyone back home?" I begged him, I honestly hoped news wouldn't get back to dad about what happened.

"I will"

I gave him a small smile as I left the lounge honestly hoping he wouldn't tell anyone or if he did it didn't lead back to dad. I didn't know how dad would react but I did know it wouldn't be good when he eventually found out what happened.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! So here is when Dimitri found out what happened, I know people were anxiously waiting to see what happens. Also I'm so close to 100 reviews, it would mean a lot of I could reach it with this chapter upload.**

**Moulinness ****thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Ah well I'm sorry for that, either read it, google Ruby Circle spoilers or message you and I can tell you what I would have said. I was tempted to make it so Dri was mad at him but then I didn't know how to do the sessions with her mad at him and since she wants to graduate with her friends she can't skip sessions, I figured I'll make her suck up her pride and deal with her anger towards him. As for them not regretting the night well, I couldn't do it. Nikolaus is in love with her and he certainly wouldn't and Dri trusts him enough to do it, her views on sex were mentioned above so her influence wasn't love.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes they did finally talk and I'm glad you liked how Dri finally brought Nikolaus to the ground, I had to do something to surprise Nikolaus and learning from Dimitri and Rose would be the best option since they are 'such gods' among the novices.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved it!**

**Roselopez**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. You will have to keep reading to see what I have planned for my all characters.**


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54**

Adrianna POV

It had been a week since Dimitri turned up and attempted beat up Nikolaus, I hadn't heard anything from dad so it made me think Dimitri didn't say anything or dad didn't care about the two of us having sex but somehow I didn't think so.

My sessions with Nikolaus had become awkward and filled with tension, James and Stefan would joke that it was all sexual tension and one day we were just going to give into and have sex again. This then resulted in me yelling at the two of them and Emily threatening to beat Stefan up for me.

But the truth was there were moments where I wondered what the hell was going on and what the hell was going to happen. Things would start out fine and then one of us would be pinned to the floor and then it would change to being awkward and this afternoon's session was no different.

This afternoon we were going over silver stakes again and I was stabbing the practise dummies with one, Nikolaus was standing to the side and watching but he moved out of my vision before I felt him standing behind me.

"Dri stop doing it like that" his arm reached out and grabbed my own. "You're short and most of the time you will come across someone who is taller then you, you have to go up not down with the stake"

I went to turn around so I could question him but he placed his hand on my waist and stopped me, so I tilted my head up and around so I could face him but I didn't expect him to be so close.

"Dri concentrate" he whispered "Dri please concentrate, this will help keep you alive one day"

"Sorry..."

"It's fine, as I was saying you have to go up through the ribs to get to the heart. It will be easier for you that way"

"But it's hard when the dummies are a similar height"

"Alright, hang on" he let go of my arm and my waist and stepped away from me and I instantly missed the heat. Everyone was still bugging me as to if I felt anything towards Nikolaus, was this a sign that I did? Was my body physically telling me that I wanted to be close to him like this?

He walked over to where the gym equipment was in the corner before picking up something and walking back, he did this a couple of times until a step was made and then he placed the practise dummy on it.

I walked up to it and then turned and faced Nikolaus with a frown.

"What now?"

"Now it's too tall, I would be lucky if I could reach its heart"

"It's not that bad"

"Oh come on who do you know is 8 ft?"

"It's not that high" I laughed at him before standing in front of it and reach up with the stake. The tip only just reached the heart.

"I get it, I'm short but I'm not that short" he grinned at me and I narrowed my eyes at him. "It's not funny fix it" he was the one telling me to concentrate but yet he was doing this like this on purpose

"Fine, I will but it is a little funny"

Once he fixed the dummy and it was at an appropriate height for me, I didn't know how I was going to do this. "How do I go up with the stake?"

"You just have to adjust your arm position this will also work if they have you on the floor and you can manoeuvre yourself to gain access to their heart" he walked over so he was standing behind me and he grabbed my wrist again. He moved the position of my arm and guided it so the stake hit aim with the heart.

"Thanks" he dropped my wrist

"You just have to practise that way to get the strength and power behind it"

I turned around to face him and I had expected him to step away when he let go of my arm but when I turned I found him still standing directly behind me, I bumped into him and stumbled. His arm instantly went around my waist to steady me.

"You aren't really the most graceful person Dri"

"Jee thanks"

Standing like this was awfully familiar, it was almost like when we were in the club and he was trying to steady me after I turned too fast and the room spun or even when we were outside after I got slapped.

"What happened to your face?" his other hand reached up and softly touched my cheek, I flinched and pulled my head away from his hand. "Sorry" his hand rested on my neck

"It's fine, it's just tender. Lindsay managed to get a punch in" James had offered to heal it but I said not too, I couldn't let her know that I was weak. Most novices were regularly seen sporting injuries and I wouldn't show Lindsay I couldn't handle one of her punches.

"But you didn't fight her in class this morning"

"Right because we only fight in class, she started on me just after lunch"

"Yes I've heard that you two fight in classes, your normal classes end up in you two yelling at each other while your novice classes normally end in fist fights"

"Yeah but you should know I can usually get one over her and she backs down or she gets dragged away kicking and screaming" the look on his face made me almost believe that he had witness a fight or two of these.

The two of us standing like was starting to be too much, we were too close and the urge to lean up to kiss him was increasing. As much as I knew these moments were wrong and they shouldn't happen I was beginning to enjoy them too much and as always he pulled away, almost as if he could see what was about to happen.

"You should keep practising with the dummies" he stepped back even further. I didn't say anything but did as he suggested and turned around to practise staking the dummies.

It was the following Friday night and a group of the senior novices were throwing a small party in one of the empty lounges. I had no idea where Stefan and Emily were, chances are Stefan was off with the boys while Emily was off with a boy. There weren't many girls in our novice class, so these parties weren't the place where they hoped to get laid instead it was more of a way for us to blow off steam before we were forced out into the world after graduation.

I was sitting in one of the arm chairs on Aiden Thorne's lap, he was in Carter's usual group of friends and we shared a few classes over the years. As soon as I entered the party he grabbed my hand and asked me to join him, I looked at Emily and she gave me a wink letting me know she wouldn't care if I went off with him.

"This dress makes your legs look amazing" Aiden spoke as he ran his fingers along my leg. The dress I was wearing was incredibly short and did show off my legs, it's why I wore it.

"I've heard the jokes you've all made about my legs, why not wear a dress that shows them off"

"If only your school uniform showed them off as well as this dress"

"Aiden, you and I both know what would happen if did that. We know that you for one would never be able to concentrate in class and I would kick your ass in class every single time" I flashed him a smile and he grinned.

"Dri you're forgetting the shorts you wear in combat class show your legs off already, as for that skirt your wear. Well I wouldn't say no to it being any shorter"

"It's already as short as it can be without the teachers saying something and having all of you boys drooling while following me around"

"But where is the fun in that?"

I leaned closer to him so I could whisper. "The fun is that I would rather wait until we're all drunk and then watch as you guys fight over me" he leaned closer to close the gap and kiss me.

I instantly kissed him back and placed my arms around his neck, the only reason I came to this party was in the hope of kissing someone else and having fun with someone else so I would be able to push aside the memories of what happened with Nikolaus, I couldn't get them out of my head. As much as I enjoyed what happened that night and I didn't regret it, I couldn't take it. I needed them to go away, the memories were changing things and I couldn't stand knowing what was changing, I didn't want my feelings towards Nikolaus to change or increase or even make whatever it is between us more awkward then it already is.

Sitting there in Aiden's lap kissing him and having his hands roam my body I couldn't help but compare the two off them. Even though Aiden is drunk just like Nikolaus was there was so many differences and I hated it, I wasn't even enjoying the kiss. I had kissed Aiden before and it was fine but now, comparing it to the one I shared with Nikolaus it was horrible.

"Sorry..." I pulled away and got up off his lap before leaving the lounge.

I headed downstairs and left the building heading straight towards the clearing I normally went to clear my head. My plan to use Aiden to push my memories aside wasn't working, so instead I stood there soaking up the last of the heat coming from the sun. Soon all the warmth will disappear and autumn will begin bringing the cold weather along with it and before I know it will start snowing, after being here for three years I still wasn't used to the snow.

"What are you wearing?" I had snuck out of the back doors hoping no one would noticed I had left the building but instead Nikolaus found me anyway but I couldn't help but notice the little jump my heart made when I heard his voice.

"There was a party tonight, please don't send word to the other Guardians. It should be breaking up soon anyway, it was just us novices using it as a way to blow off steam"

"And what happened so you came straight out without a jacket or even shoes" crap I had taken my heels off after I had a couple of drinks since I couldn't keep my balance, I just hoped Emily grabbed them before she left

"I don't need a jacket, the sun is giving me enough heat"

"Why are you out here Dri?"

"The same reason I'm always out here, trying to clear my head" I still hadn't turned around and faced Nikolaus but when I did I noticed he was eying me, it was the same look he gave me when he noticed me in the red dress in Melbourne.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope, what are you doing out here?"

"There are some royals visiting along with their Guardians, who are friends of mine. How did you sneak out without being caught?"

"I don't always get caught, how about you keep going to see your friends and I'll stay here before heading back in and going to sleep"

"Knowing you, you will get caught sneaking in while drunk with no shoes. Come on let me help you" he took a step closer to me and I couldn't help but take a step back.

I didn't want to be in a close proximity to him right now, I needed work out what was going on in my head. Having him close and being able to smell him, I already knew he smell incredible since I was able to smell him during every single one of our sessions.

"Dri what's wrong?" maybe I shouldn't have taken that step back, it gave away that I was being cautious around him.

"It doesn't matter but the last time I was drunk around you I did something stupid"

"Ah I see but if you remember I was drunk too, I doubt the same thing will happen twice" why did that hurt more than it should?

I turned back around looked back out across the grounds and Nikolaus took this as the time to step in beside me. I didn't want this, I just wanted to think everything through without him being here with me to cloud my judgement. I needed to know what this all meant.

"Let me help you get back inside so you don't get caught"

"I don't need your help, just go see your friends"

"Dri"

"Fine if you won't go I will" I snapped at him as I turned around and headed back towards the dorms. When I was far enough that he couldn't stop me I turned back and looked at him, I swear I could have seen him looked hurt before his mask appeared and he headed off towards the guest housing.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**GwennyDee ****thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you like chapter 52, I was a little worried how people would take it since in the ended they were able to talk things through calmly. As for why Nikolaus didn't freak out knowing that James had seen what happened, I'm not too sure it could be a number things being the one you mentioned, James knows the truth about Nikolaus loving Dri or it could be that by now Nikolaus knows that James would have found out eventually, whether it be from Dri or when classes started up. Remember James is able to see memories you think more about, if Dri is having trouble forgetting the memories Nikolaus would too making it easier for James to see. Thank you for helping me reach my 100 reviews, I think everyone knew that Dimitri would be mad but for him flying out to St Vladimir's I don't think people did. I'm glad I was able to surprise some people with that one. The relationship between Dri and Rose and Dimitri gets explained in a later chapter but I always wanted the three of them to be close and I didn't want Dri to keep secrets from them. Oh Adrian does find out eventually about what happened but it's not for a while.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I've probably said this before but there are scenes that I loved from the books and I've slipped them in here as well as twisting some bits, like the bit where Nikolaus takes care of Dri's hand, for one Rose didn't snap at Dimitri. I think Dimitri is hot in general and I figured if he is protective over Rose why not other people he cares about and if he truly believed that Nikolaus took advantage of Dri why not do something like that, he's not exactly known for keeping his temper in check at all times. Thank you for saying my story is amazing, it means a lot!**


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55**

Adrianna POV

I was currently sitting in my dorm doing homework, it was a Friday night and I knew my friends were heading off to a party that one of the Royal Moroi were throwing and I wasn't the tiniest bit interested in going.

My dorm door burst opened and both Emily and Stefan stormed in before walking and taking a seat on my bed after pushing my books aside.

"What was that for guys?"

"We've had enough of this funk you are in Dri"

"Stefan's right, we have been at school for a month and there have been a couple of parties and you have only been to one, that isn't normal for you Dri"

"Exactly but it's not just that, even when we are sitting with the rest of our friends whether it's during class, at lunch or after classes have finished for the day. You barely speak to any of us you just sit there and listen to the conversation"

"What is going on with you Dri, we're worried" I looked over at my two best friends, they were worried.

They were right though, we had been back for a month and I wasn't myself. I was distancing myself from my friends not participating in conversations or caring about the parties that were happening. Even tonight it seemed as though they ditched the party just to check on me.

"I'm sorry for worrying you guys, I just can't seem to get this one thought out of my head" I looked over at them as tears formed in my eyes, I had been being trying to get it out of my head ever since the novice only party I went too and I'm surprised James hadn't said anything to me.

"What's going on Dri, please tell us" Emily begged me and looking at Stefan I could tell he was here for me as well.

"I can't it's so bad and everyone else's fault for asking me what I felt and now I know and it won't go away"

"Dri, we are your best friends. We didn't judge you after what happened in the summer"

Stefan was right, him and Emily were my best friends they didn't judge me after I told them I had sex with Nikolaus, when I told them about Michael or even the countless stupid things I have done in the past. They were my best friends and they loved me either way.

"I think I have feelings towards Nikolaus, they won't go away and I don't know what to do"

"Oh is that all, we already suspected that" Stefan shrugged but Emily punched him

"What makes you think that Dri"

"It's just everything, every time I think back on what happened in the summer I enjoy the memories, I look forward to my sessions with him every day and there are parts of him that I love, even the small parts don't annoy me as much anymore. Even before all of this happened I tried to forget him by kissing Aiden but it didn't work, I just ended up comparing him to Nikolaus"

"So what are you going to do?"

"I honestly don't know Em, I don't know what to do. I've been trying to work it out but I can't and it's annoying me"

"I hate saying this but maybe you should talk to James, see if he knows something" for some strange reason there was a bit of jealously on Emily's part about my friendship with James. I've tried telling her that she is being silly but she wouldn't stop

"I doubt he knows anything if he did he would have said something to me by now"

"He could be keeping quiet because he knew you didn't want to talk about it. Maybe you should confront him"

"Whatever, not tonight" I snapped at them

I knew I shouldn't have snapped at them but they didn't say anything, in fact they both got off my bed and went over to my T.V and turned it on while I went back to my homework. I thought they would leave and go to their party but I guess they wanted to stay and make sure I was alright.

I noticed the hushed conversation taking place between them but I didn't say anything knowing it would be about me.

I got annoyed after a while and couldn't take it anymore so I closed my books and went and joined them by the T.V receiving small smiles.

The morning came too quickly for my liking, my sessions with Nikolaus had become quiet and abnormal for us. It was the only way I could deal with the awkwardness that now existed between us, I believed that if I never discovered that I had feelings for him or maybe if we never had sex but it happened and no matter how much you wish you can never change the past.

The session didn't involve anything physical today, Nikolaus knew I had tests coming up as well as assignments due so he wanted to focus on theory which was fine with me since Emily and Stefan had turned up and refused to leave I didn't get everything finished.

"Dri is everything alright?" his voice startled me, I looked up at him and noticed he was concerned.

Apart from when I first met him over time I stopped paying attention to how good looking he was but now after having sex and constantly having flashes of what he looked like naked it made me remember how good looking he actually was. Even some of the other female novices or Moroi made comments on his appearance but I always shrugged it off thinking it was nothing because he was a teacher unless it was Emily or Belle or on the rare occasion Sarah or Amelia.

"Fine" I looked back down at my notes for the maths test I had but it was apparent he didn't like my answer since I watched as my notes were snatched away. I hated that he always did that when I didn't give an answer he liked and most of the time I could see it coming but I never stopped him since it would make things worse.

"Something's bothering you, I've known you long enough to know when something is"

"You don't know me that well"

"Right, when you and Jeremy broke up the morning when we first began working on silver stakes he came in, that morning I could tell something was bothering you but you were trying so hard to make it seem like you were fine so I didn't question it"

"So what I had spent the night crying, I looked like a mess anyone would have been able to tell something was bothering me. You aren't that good of a mind reader because nothing is bothering me now" I snapped at him as I reached over and grabbed my book back from him, I was surprised when he didn't even fight me on it.

We were silent for a few moments while I went back to working on my homework, I honestly didn't expect him to stay quiet for this long we were both too stubborn our arguments normally only ended when one of us walked out.

"Adrianna please talk to me" he never and I mean never called me Adrianna anymore, even in front of my family he was calling me Dri. Dad was used to us being close and long ago dropped the idea of something happening between us, if he knew what happened during the summer I think he would have had one of us pulled from the academy.

When I looked up at him concern was written across his face, had we really gotten that close that he was able to tell when something was bothering me. He was truly worried about me but there was no way I could tell him what was bothering me, not without it changing everything.

"I can't" was all I said as my eyes welled up

"You can talk to me about anything Dri, even if it is silly high school gossip that is bothering you" I shook my head, I knew I could talk to him about anything but this wasn't acceptable. I couldn't believe I had allowed myself to fall for him.

It didn't matter how much of a great guy he was, everything about him was perfect to me and no matter what he had always made me feel safe and that was what I needed the most. After everything that happened to me all I ever craved was safety and security and he gave me that.

I shook my head at him as a tear escaped down my cheek, he didn't say anything. All he did was frown before reaching over and cup my face to wipe away the stray tears. It was all I could take, I pulled back from him and gathered up my books before standing and leaving the gym. I guess one of us did walk out this time.

I quickly went back to my dorm and dropped my books before sending James a text asking where he was. I paced my room waiting for him to reply and when I eventually got a reply he was in our usual corner in the library, I grabbed a jacket on my way out and went to look for James.

When I found him in the library I didn't say anything as I walked over and took a seat beside him not saying anything. I didn't even take notice of what homework he was doing, I just sat there waiting for him to realise what I wanted to talk about.

James let out a sigh and I looked up at him and it was then that he realised I had been crying, I noticed him concentrating while looking at me. I knew he had been working on shutting people out but I didn't realise he was able to do it.

"I've always known, ever since you first realised it Dri"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"What was I meant to say? 'hey I know your struggling with the idea of being in love with a teacher but it will be alright" I stared at him, I never once suspected it was love I honestly just thought it was similar feelings that I had towards Jeremy.

"Love?" I choked out and he nodded at me. "I never said anything about love, I can't be in love with him"

"Dri your aura doesn't lie, every time Nikolaus entered the room and you looked at him the colours would flash through your aura indicating love" I groaned and leaned back to bang my head against the wall.

"Fine so if I'm in love with him what the hell do I do about it? I can't exactly tell him, even today he tried to get out of me what is bothering me, I snapped at him but he wouldn't drop it. I eventually left and came here"

"I wasn't going to say tell him, he wouldn't believe you anyway. He would think you are trying to get out of something"

"How do you know so much about what goes on in his head? I swear you haven't spent that much time with him" James shrugged at me and I knew to drop it, no matter how much I tried he wouldn't tell me anything about what he knew about Nikolaus. "Fine then smartass what shall I do about this?"

"Just kiss him, I know how many times you have ended up pinned to the matt and have been close to kissing him. Just do it"

"No way, that is worse than telling him. If I kiss him I'll end up with a lecture to end all lectures, it will be the worst one of the lot" I narrowed my eyes at him before I stood up and stormed off.

James POV

I watched as Dri stormed out of the library, she was angry yes but she didn't know what I knew and I still couldn't believe she had no clue that Nikolaus was in love her. It was why he cared so much about her and how his mood would easily flip, she would say something that would make him realise that nothing would ever happen between the two of them.

But now she was in love with him and it was all because of the two of them having sex in the summer, who would have thought that one event would bring them together. I could always tell there was something between the two of them but I never knew what it was because I didn't have all the information but now they both loved each other and someone had to have the courage to finally do something about it.

I knew Nikolaus wouldn't do anything, if he would he would have by now so I hoped Dri did something for the sake of both of their happiness. You can tell by their auras when they're around each other just how perfect they are for each other.

Auras give you a lot of information about the person and seeing them around another person indicates just how they belong with each other. The varying colours that indicate love create different patterns and when they match with another person it's like they are in sync or they're another piece of the puzzle or how ever people explain soul mates. I see it all the time, I see it in my parents, I saw it in the Queen and her husband, I've seen it in Dri's dad and step mum, I've seen it in Rose and Dimitri and now I'm seeing it in Dri and Nikolaus

Dri and Nikolaus belong together and I didn't want to have to get involved in their relationship but if no one did something than I would have too eventually.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! Dri finally admitted that she has feelings for Nikolaus, what does everyone think is going to happen now?**

**To the guest reviewer, thank you for reviewing. Yes Dri finally started realising she may feel more for Nikolaus and now she has realised she is in love with him thanks to James telling her.**

**LilianGrace thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot. I'm sorry you're sick but I'm glad me updating everyday makes it that bit better for you. Her friends pick on her because they love her, I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense to you but it's how I am with my friends and it's just normal between us. Yes, Nikolaus does want Dri to know how to survive and remember how I said some chapters give hints to future chapters, there is one right there.**

**Gabergirl thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot. I'm glad you're still enjoying my story. Don't worry Rose and Dimitri will make appearances it might just be a few chapters in between. As you can see Dri did finally admit she had feelings for Nikolaus but she wasn't convinced it was love until James told her otherwise.**

**Moulinness thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot. Yes Dri is falling for Nikolaus and this chapters is where it finally comes out that she has admitted it. I didn't let that happen to Dri mainly because I know how much it doesn't work. I'm glad you fall in love with Dri and Nikolaus every chapter, I'm glad that they are loveable characters. I was a little unsure how people who react to that scene with Dimitri because some would say it is out of character but as you said it is also in character for him. Even if Dri didn't come across as a Rose junior I tried to make it seem like that Rose and Dimitri care about Dri as if she was their child as well since they can't have their own. I believe if I showed scene between Rose and Dimitri with Dri's brothers or even Lissa and Christian's twins then they would be similar as well but since Dri is the only girl it's different. Everyone is wondering the same thing with Adrian but no I can safely say no one and I mean no one tells Adrian, for now anyway.**


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56**

Adrianna POV

I knew I was dreaming when I was realised I was back in the hotel room that was my bedroom when we were staying in Melbourne, it wasn't uncommon for this dream either. There had been a couple of times when I had had this dream but normally it was when Nikolaus and I were having sex not once we had finished and we were lying there in the bed but us lying here like this made me realise just how much I enjoyed being in his arms like that.

Nikolaus had an arm wrapped tightly around my waist and he was softly kissing my shoulder speaking in Greek. I don't remember being awake for this long until I fell asleep but I was in the dream long enough to finally hear what he was saying.

'Είμαι ερωτευμένος μαζί σου and αγαπώ' I had no idea what he was saying, all I knew was that it had to be Greek.

I woke up once the dream was finished having the two Greek sayings floating around in my head, it was preventing me from going to sleep. I climbed out of bed and headed over to my desk and booted up my computer hoping to find a Greek translator or even something that had a list of sayings.

It wasn't until I started reading the lists of sayings that I realised how hard it would be to match the sayings in my head to the ones I was reading, I didn't know how to pronounce half of these. I kept going through searches until I finally found one that had recordings of someone saying the same sayings.

I didn't know how long I was sitting there at my computer listening to common Greek sayings until I finally came across the ones I needed and I was completely and utterly shocked, it couldn't be right. It just couldn't be right, this page had to be fake or I had misheard.

I needed air but I knew if I took off Nikolaus would be the one to find me and I couldn't deal with him right now, it was bad enough knowing I had to see him in the morning. Instead of trying to sneak out I decided to go and have a shower to try and sleep.

Morning finally came and I had the worst sleep, I still hadn't decided if I believed what I heard and read last night. I couldn't get it out of my head knowing what it meant, it was annoying me. I didn't know how to take it if it was real, what would I do and what does it mean?

When I entered the gym I found Nikolaus sitting on one of the benches with nothing else out in the gym to indicate what the plan was for today, if we hadn't worked on my homework on Saturday than maybe we would be doing theory since I had a maths test this afternoon or maybe he was just hoping to bug me into to telling him what was bothering me on Saturday but seeing him sitting there I decided what I wanted to do today.

I walked over and talk a seat next to him, almost expecting him to say something before I sat down, something about what the plan was for today but he didn't. He didn't even look at me as I sat down, I had no idea what was going to happen now, if he wasn't going to look at me I suppose I wouldn't look at him either.

"I'm really sorry for what happened on Saturday, I didn't mean to upset you" I finally looked over at him but he wasn't looking at me, he was still looking at the wall.

I didn't know how to respond to him, I wasn't upset because of what he said, I was upset because I couldn't tell him what was bothering me.

"It's fine, you didn't" he finally looked over at me, I couldn't believe he was this worried about upsetting me, it didn't make sense.

"Dri you left in tears"

"Honestly it wasn't you, I promise but there is something else I want to ask you?"

"What is it?"

"What does Είμαι ερωτευμένος μαζί σου mean?" I tried to pronounce it right but by the look on his face I wasn't successful, so I tried again and this time his face paled.

"Come on we should head out and run laps" he stood up and went to head out but I wasn't going to let this slide, I had to know what he was hiding from me.

"Stop, I'm sick of you doing this. You run every time you don't want to talk about something, I'm sick and tired of this bullshit hot and cold game you've been playing!" I yelled while trying to catch up to him. In one swift motion he had stopped, turned around, grabbed me and pinned me against the wall.

"You don't know what you're talking about, we've already been there and I'm not the only one that does it. Just the other day you took off because you didn't want to talk about something"

"How about you talk first, then I will"

"It doesn't work like that and you know it"

"Tell me, what does Είμαι ερωτευμένος μαζί σου mean?"

"Where did you even here it? I honestly don't think many people speak Greek around here"

"They don't, what does it mean Nikolaus?"

"Just drop it Dri" he growled while gripping my arms tighter

"Please say it..." I spoke softly, I must have shocked him for a moment because the anger on his face fell for a moment before it went back up.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I heard it somewhere and I want to know what it means"

"Just drop it Dri"

"Please tell me"

"NO!" he finally snapped, he let go of my arm and punched the wall beside my head causing me to flinch.

I hadn't seen him lose it like this before, yes there had been times when we were both yelling at each other but this was different and I didn't know how to react or handle it

"Nikolaus say it" I said sternly just hoping eventually he would say it, I had to hear him say it to know if what I read was real or not.

"Damn it Dri I said no!" he had let go of my other arm and placed both his hands beside me on the wall stepping closer to me, I knew how to get out of this but I knew if I fought him on this I wouldn't get what I wanted.

"Please say it" I watched as the anger finally slipped from his face and he let out a sigh

"Fine, Είμαι ερωτευμένος μαζί σου means I'm in love with you. Where did you hear it?" I couldn't believe it, that night he told me he was in love with me and hearing it said in English knowing what it meant and knowing what I felt I didn't know what to say or do.

We both stood there in silence for a couple of minutes, I knew he wanted me to answer his question but I think he knew what my answer would be without me saying it. It was then I decided to take James advice, had he known all along what Nikolaus felt? How long had he felt like this anyway?

"You" I whispered trying to keep my face as soft as possible, just because I knew what he felt it didn't mean he knew what I felt.

In one motion I placed my arms around his neck and stood up on my toes so I could press my lips against his. I honestly did not plan to do this or even had any idea about how he was going to react, for all I know this was going to completely backfire but it didn't instead he kissed me back almost instantly closing any gap we had between us.

All too soon for my liking Nikolaus pulled away from me, kissing him felt amazing, it felt right. I wanted to know what he was thinking but he had put up the Guardian mask to hide his emotions and I didn't like it, honestly what else was there to hide from me, why was he hiding his emotions from me?

"You shouldn't have done that Dri" Nikolaus had come back to standing in front of me but we didn't touch, he made sure of that

"Why?"

"I'm your teacher, nothing can happen between us"

"But you kissed me back, you said you were in love me"

"I shouldn't have kissed you back but nothing can happen. I'm your teacher Dri"

"Dimitri was Rose's and look at them"

"Dri you need to stop pushing this, I meant it. Nothing can happen, even when you graduate in a few months who knows what's going to happen"

"αγαπώ" I watched as he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face before he shook his head and laughed at me.

I frowned at him trying to hold back the tears, I tried telling him in Greek that I love him and he laughs at me. "What's so funny?" I didn't look at him as I spoke.

He didn't say anything in reply straight away except he cupped my face and forced me to look at him, the guardian mask was finally gone and there was so much emotion written on his face some of which I couldn't even pick. It made me wonder how much of it he had hid previously.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings but you said it so wrong it was funny. It's pronounced αγαπώ"

"Ohhh, you're not even going to question it?"

"I figured you've done enough of it and even went to James, apparently he can look at our auras and tell the difference between love and lust. Trust me when I heard that I hoped he would tell me that what I was feeling for you I was just confusing with lust"

"How long?"

"How long have I been completely and utterly in love with you?" I nodded but couldn't help the huge smile that appeared on my face

"I think it was the shopping trip that made me realise that I felt something for you, even before I saw you getting strangled by Jason us spending the day pretending to be a couple was enough. Even though I was keeping an eye on the Moroi there were moments where I was able to forget about the world we live in, I don't know how you do it but you do. You give me moments that allow me to completely forget that I'm trained to fight Strigoi and protect the Moroi"

"That was when everything changed between us, you started calling me Dri and the hot and cold game started along with all your mood swings...wait that explains everything doesn't it?"

"It does, I would realise I had gotten to comfortable and I would be angry at myself so I'd pull away and make sure you didn't realise what was happening"

"Then why did you continue the sessions once you realised there was some sort of feelings towards me, why did you let them continue and risk falling in love with me?"

"Because I couldn't let you go, by that stage I wanted to protect you. Then Michael turned up and I couldn't stand seeing you constantly scared and worried about what he was going to do to you, I couldn't stand it" he stroked my cheek

"Thank you for staying and wanting to protect me, I honestly don't know how I would have gotten through everything with Michael without you there helping me through it all"

"What about you?"

"I honestly don't know, I know I have always been attracted to you but as for realising my feelings it was only recently. I couldn't get the images of us having sex out of my head but I didn't want too, I enjoyed it and then all the small things you used to do that used to annoy me didn't as much. I began looking forward to our sessions not because I was learning something new but because I was able to spend time with you. Somewhere along the way I realised there was feelings there and James was the one that said it was love"

"You know none of this can happen again Dri, we can't kiss, we can't say I love you, nothing. We have to act like nothing happened"

"Funny how I was the one that said we had to act like nothing happened after we had sex"

"Dri I'm being serious" I finally pulled away from Nikolaus, he still had me trapped between him and the wall. I didn't go through all of this just to go back to acting like there was nothing there.

"I get it, I'm going to go to breakfast" I didn't look at him as I walked over and picked up my bag and walked out the back door.

The whole way to the cafeteria I kept thinking if this was what James knew and would hang over my head, I needed to know what he knew. I had learnt so much new information this morning and my head was reeling, all of this explained everything; his mood swings, the constant hot and cold game, him telling me I was seeing things and I wonder if this was what Shane meant about me not understanding the severity of the two of us having sex.

When I entered the cafeteria all thoughts I had of having breakfast were gone when I noticed James sitting at our usual table with the rest of our friends. I walked over to them and they all said good morning but I ignored them and walked straight over to James.

"I need to talk to you now" I hissed in his ear and kept walking.

It wasn't until I was back out when James finally spoke. "Dri, stop. What is wrong" I spun around and glared at him.

"You knew! You actually fucking knew and wouldn't tell me!"

"What are you talking about Dri?"

"I'm talking about Nikolaus being in love with me and you fucking knew and don't deny it. Why else would you tell me I should just kiss him instead of telling him how I feel?" I could tell he was worried about what happened and I noticed he was concentrating on something.

"STOP LOOKING IN MY HEAD AND TALK TO ME INSTEAD!" I yelled at James, under any other circumstances I didn't care that he would look in my head. I was used to it and knew there was nothing to do about it but right now, I didn't feel like being invaded.

"Sorry but why are you angry? Wouldn't this be what you want?"

"No what I want is to go back to being a normal teenage girl where my only issue was that my ex boyfriend cheated on me. I don't want to have the issues of having slept with a teacher who I'm in love with and he loves me back" everything that had come out had finally hit me like a tonne of bricks and I collapsed leaning against the building while James squatted beside me.

"I know Dri but he does love you back and you two are meant to be together, your auras don't lie" I looked up at him, him being a Spirit user changed everything. It made me wonder how much he actually knew about people that he wasn't letting on.

"It's too hard and it's not right"

"Who cares if it's right? You love him yes?"

"Yeah"

"Then who cares, just have fun with it and then worry about what happens when you get busted" he shrugged at me

"What are you on about?"

"I'm on about you two having sex until the end of the school year because why not" he grinned at me and I scowled at him, this wasn't what I expected to come out of this conversation. "Oh come on Dri, I know how you felt with those memories. Don't deny that you don't want to have sex with him again" I stood up and glared at him.

"This conversation is done James" I walked away from heading no where I particular, I was beginning to hate this side of him

"Oh come on Dri, you know it's true. You want to have sex with him and you know you'll enjoy it" I spun around so quickly that I shocked him but it was only there for a moment before a massive grin appeared on his face.

"Shut the hell up James!" I yelled before storming off.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! First off I want to apologize to anyone who is Greek or can speak Greek and the two sayings I used are wrong, if they are please let me know and I can make the adjustments. I literally just put I love you and I'm in love with you into a translator and that is what popped out.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you were desperate for this chapter, I had to make time so I could do a final read through before posting as well as replying to the reviews I had. Please let me know what you thought would have happened if this wasn't it. Nikolaus sort of did tell Dri that he loved her but didn't realise she would be able to realise what he said. Yes Adrian is okay with their friendship for now, further down the line there are some instances where he questions it and he does eventually find out what happened in Melbourne and he does lose it and I'm really looking forward to writing that chapter and sharing it with everyone.**

**Moulinness**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes it is a quite a dilemma but as you can see something finally happened for everyones feelings to come out. It can be hard when you fall for the wrong person. I don't want Dri and Nikolaus to come across as the perfect couple, yes I want them to be perfect for each other but that's it. As for Adrian, yes I plan on having him freak out when it all comes out but for when and how you'll have to wait and see what happens and if he's scarier than a Strigoi. I wanted to skip over Dri driving herself crazy not telling Nikolaus because I thought having everything out in the open and not being able to do anything would drive her even crazier. I can't promise that they will have a boring year because that makes for a boring story.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad that you keep reviewing to just tell me you loved it! As always I update when I can, I've been having more free time as of late so more updates but today I made sure I had time for this one since I was so excited to see how everyone reacted to it.**


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57**

Adrianna POV

"Oh how I missed you" I sat there on the kitchen floor cooing to a jar of vegemite.

"Oh come on Dri, we have vegemite back in the states" my head shot up and I glared at Nikolaus

"Are you kidding me, there is no way you can call that crap vegemite, marmite is nowhere in the same league as vegemite. Are you even tried this?" I waved the jar around

"Nope, give it here" I threw the jar at him and grinned as he opened it, it wasn't until I saw the spoon that my face fell.

"No not like that..." but I was too late he put a spoon full of vegemite in his mouth and it was only seconds before he spat it out.

"Are you kidding me Dri, this stuff is horrible! How can you possibly eat that?" Nikolaus finally spoke after washing his mouth out with practically every liquid in the fridge.

"Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen me eat a spoonful of vegemite?"

"Too be honest I haven't seen you eat any of it"

"Then watch, because I'm going to put it on toast instead of eating a spoonful of it" I smirked at him as I stood up and walked over to make the toast.

When the toast was finished and the vegemite was on there I handed a piece over to him.

"No way, I'm not eating that stuff again"

"Please I promise it's not that bad" I gave him a smile and it wasn't long before he hung his head and grabbed the piece of toast.

He took a bite and spat it out. "No it's still that bad Dri, you're going to get it" I threw the toast on the bench before running out of the kitchen.

"Cute memory" James' voice snapped me out of the memory.

I looked up from my lunch and smiled at him, Belle and Jeremy were off at the feeders so it just left the two of us with Emily and Stefan. I hadn't told Emily and Stefan what happened with Nikolaus, I hadn't even told them I was planning on doing anything about my feelings. I couldn't tell them what he felt, it was bad enough that James knew but I couldn't help it.

I had ended up forgiving James for him constantly saying I wanted to have sex with Nikolaus again because it was the truth, I just didn't want to admit it. I also hated admitting that I was in love with him knowing nothing could come out of it.

"What was the memory?" Emily had a smile on her face

"Our first morning in Melbourne the rest of my family was still asleep but Nikolaus and I were excited about the sun that was coming in through the windows. We were sitting in the kitchen and I was actually on the floor cooing over a jar of vegemite, I have missed vegemite. Anyway I convinced him to try it and he did but a spoonful of it and don't you three ever try that because even I wouldn't do that, it's not like nutella or peanut butter. It ended with him not liking it and him thinking I lied so he chased me around the apartment. It was completely normal, I liked it"

"Dri our lives are normal"

"Oh right how could I forget Stefan, because it's normal to grow up in foster care have your dad turn up when you're fifteen and tell you that vampires are real. Yeah real normal" I smirked at him and they all laugh

"Alright so your life isn't what you grew up with as normal but it is normal for us"

"Yeah, yeah I know. I told you about my memory and my craving for a somewhat normal life. You know if I was still in Melbourne I would have graduated by now?" none of my friends knew what to say, truth was even if I grew up in this world I would have graduated last June and be out in the world guarding some Moroi.

"Oh it's your birthday this week" Emily was shocked, I couldn't believe she forget my birthday but I suppose so much had happened the past few weeks

"Oh are we going to have a party again?" Stefan spoke, he didn't care if it was my birthday or not he would be happy to party either way

"Oh yeah because Alberta will love to put all of us detention for who knows how long again" James laughed at us but then stopped when he realised we weren't joking

"What happened?"

"I turned 18 last year and we threw this big party in one of the cabins on the borders, way too many people crashed, everyone was incredibly drunk and it got broken up. Everyone who was caught was put on three week long suspension, we were all sentenced to staying in our rooms except for meals and classes. Dad was really annoyed, we've stayed out big trouble since then because dad threatened to have me pulled from here and placed into a human school"

"Right so no party?"

"No I'm sure we can have a party Em, just a small one in our dorms and we can sneak over the few Moroi we want. It's what we've always done, I honestly don't know why we decided to use my birthday as the one to see if we can party in the cabins"

"Fine, a small party is it" I laughed at Emily, she over reacting way too much for the idea of a small party.

I was about to question why she was over reacting about this but the bell rang indicating it was time to head to class. I was lucky this year, I was placed with pretty much all my friends in our afternoon classes, well except the maths class. We were split up depending on how we did in Maths, I had James, Carter and Stefan in my Maths class while Jeremy, Belle, Emily and Lucas were in the other one.

"Dri are you alright?" I heard Nikolaus' voice before he sat down next to me.

I made it through the rest of the day but it wasn't until it was time to go to sleep. I don't know why but more often than not I had been wishing for what I considered a normal life, to be able to have a boyfriend, a family and a future that I wanted. Not something that I was forced to have because of the race of vampires that I was born into.

I hadn't snuck out once since school started up mainly because I didn't know what to do around Nikolaus, at first it was because we had sex and it was hard knowing what to do around him when it wasn't needed where as now I knew I was in love with him and he loved me back, I didn't know how to handle it knowing nothing could happen.

Even since our feelings came out the other day we had been careful, we hadn't done any sparring. If we did do combat I would go against one of the practise dummies or the punching bag, it was like Nikolaus was trying to remove any bit of temptation we could have.

"Normally I would try and hide it but things are different this year aren't they?" I looked over at him hoping he would look at me and tell me I was wrong but instead he looked out across the grounds in front of us

"Yes things are different and it's not just because we had sex"

"I know, do you ever wish that we could have a normal life? Actually be together and plan a future?"

"Dri..." he finally looked over at me, I know what he was getting at. He was my teacher and we didn't know what was going to happen once I graduated. We could go our separate ways and hardly see each other.

Before I could even speak there was a noise behind us, we both stood up since it was unusual for another Guardian to come past us. They all knew I snuck out and they all knew Nikolaus could eventually convince me to go back to my dorm.

We both looked around not being able to see anything yet but we could still hear the noise, our advance senses that came from our Moroi parents gave us the ability to hear noises from further away compared to humans.

What shocked me was when a large number of humans came around the corner, there were a small number of dhampirs amongst the group as well and that was what confused me the most. Why were humans and dhampirs working together, we hid from them because a number of them always wanted our life or the immortal life that came with being a Strigoi.

It was weird watching them, it was like this was planned. They all ran at us crossing paths trying to confuse as to who they were going for. It wasn't until I was surrounded that I realised I was only going to be attack by humans, all the dhampirs went for Nikolaus making me assume that they knew he was the fully trained Guardian while I was just the novice.

They all came at me at once hoping that one of them could get the jump on me and I wasn't able to see Nikolaus but all I could hear was the impacts of the fight.

I knew that when the sun was out that there were less Guardians doing guard work since the Strigoi couldn't come out in the sun and we assumed our own kind wouldn't attack the school and humans didn't know we were here unless they were told.

I was trying my hardest to block the attacks and dodge others but I couldn't fight this many people at once, I was struggling. These weren't normal humans either, their strength and speed were increased and they almost matched our own. At one point one of them was able to get a hold of me and a hand holding a cloth was placed over my mouth.

I tried to fight him of as hard as I could but once one of them had a hold of me the rest of them came to help them hold me down and it wasn't long until all my strength was gone, I was getting weak and tired and it wasn't long after that that everything went black.

Nikolaus POV

I stood there next to Dri and watched as the group of dhampirs and humans came running at both of us, I wasn't shock to notice that the dhampirs came my way since it would have been obvious that I was the threat. They had grouped around us in a way to prevent me from keeping an eye on Dri, I just hoped she could hold her own long enough for me to come and help her or for someone to notice what was happening.

They had to have known when and where the guard duty shifts were placed to be able to sneak into campus. We were sitting in the middle of campus where they normally didn't patrol when the sun was down, it was the dorm matrons that made sure no students snuck out. We were always told when they did, if a large group snuck out at once we assumed it was a party and we would keep an eye on the scene until it got to out of control or late.

I was surprised by the strength and speed of the humans, it wasn't normal for them, it was almost like something was off about them but I was able to knock a couple of them unconscious. At one point they all backed away and ran off, I was confused.

It wasn't until I looked around in search of Dri that I noticed I was now standing in the clearing alone, aside from the unconscious bodies on the ground. They had taken her and there was nothing I could do to stop them, they had planned this and made sure they had a way to distract me long enough to get her out.

I pulled my phone out and called Petrov to let her know about the attack and decided to tell her in person about Dri being taken. I had to stay in the clearing and keep an eye on the unconscious humans, I had nothing to tie them up with and we needed them to know what they knew.

While I was pacing in the clearing I noticed the sun reflect off something, I walked over to it and picked it up. It was Dri's necklace, it was a simple platinum chain with a small 'A' charm on it. I remember when I first saw her wearing it, it wasn't long after Dimitri turned up and confronted me on having sex with her. She said it was her mother's, it was left in the envelope along with a letter that was named 'when you miss me the most'. I never got around to asking her why she missed her mum the most at that point in time, maybe that was when she was trying to work out her feelings for me and she needed her mother, I don't know. I picked up the necklace and put it in my pocket.

"Anastas" I turned when I heard my name, glad knowing that Petrov finally turned up and we could begin working on finding a way to get Dri back but when I turned around I found she wasn't alone which was something that I expected, I knew she would have come with other Guardians but it's who she was with.

Both Belikov and Hathaway were standing there with her, I didn't even know they were at the academy but I had heard in the past they did randomly turn up at times, mostly to see Adrian since they were all friends.

"What happened?"

I explained to them everything that happened, leaving out Dri. I didn't know how to explain to Belikov and Hathaway that she was taken, I had seen and heard how those two cared about Dri. They treat her like the daughter they could never have. I told them that the group of attackers included both humans and dhampirs and how the humans strength and speed was more than what was normal for them.

"If you were on duty why were you here, in the middle of the academy and not the watching the borders?" Belikov spoke, he knew how the guard shifts worked. He had once been a guardian here at the academy and involved in the process

"That's the thing, I wasn't on duty. I was out here because I received a phone call about a student sneaking out of the dorm" I looked over at Petrov and I could see the realization of what had happened, her as well as everyone else here knew full and well that Dri regularly snuck out and I was the one that got her back in her room.

"Who was the student and where are they?"

"I believe they took them when they backed off Belikov"

"Who was the student Anastas" Belikov growled at me, it was almost like he suspected who the student was and wanted me to tell him it wasn't Dri.

"It was Adrianna Ivashkov" all I saw was emotion pass across both of Hathaway and Belikov's faces for a split second before their guardian masks appeared.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! I'm sorry to everyone who wanted Dri and Nikolaus fluff. I promise they will get their fluff in time.**

**LilianGrace ****thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes they finally talk I'm glad you liked it and thought it was really sweet on Nikolaus' part. Yes I love James' personality and I worked so hard on making him like that, I'm glad you love that side of him. No there isn't a whole lot that Dri can hide from James but he is working on staying out of their minds. Unfortunately the fluff will have to wait.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked that scene with the dummies, I decided on making Dri kiss someone because I figured at one point or another most teenage girls will kiss someone else in hopes of forgetting about someone else but that was the tipping point in her realising that she felt something towards him. I'm glad you've got a goofy happy grin going on when reading the chapter that Dri finally admits her feelings and tells her friends. I'm glad you're enjoying what James can bring to the story and I'm sure you noticed she only took half of James' advice, she did kiss Nikolaus but she wasn't pinned to the floor. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, yes both of their feelings having finally come out. Yes, it will be torture and they will have to be careful but as for if Dri takes James' advice and they have sex you'll have to wait and see. I'm glad you're in love with my story!**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As always I love reading your reviews they either make me laugh, smile or giggle, sometimes a combination. I'm glad it was your favourite chapter so far that means a huge amount to me.**


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58**

Nikolaus POV

There was a group of us standing in the jail cells we had on campus, they rarely got used but they were needed just in case something happened. There were three unconscious humans in the cells, we didn't know when they would wake up but until they did we had nothing to go on. We had no idea where they would have taken Dri and why for the matter.

After I said that it was Dri that was taken, Belikov was furious. He was taking it out on me, he blamed me for letting them take her. He said I was meant to be watching her and protecting her. Hathaway was the one that eventually calmed him down and he hasn't said a word to me since, she hadn't either in fact.

In fact Petrov was the only one talking, she kept asking me to explain what happened over and over again in hopes that I had missed something.

"What I don't get is how they knew where to go, if they were after Dri, how did they know where she was?" Hathaway spoke as she walked over to where I was standing with Petrov

"She has a good point, I received a phone call from the dorm matron informing me that Dri had snuck out. How did they know where we were, yes you all know Dri sneaks out but I'm the only one that knows where to find her"

"If that's the case wouldn't someone had to have been set up to watch the novice dorm and see when she snuck out and follow her. Which means either we've had someone sneak in every night"

"Or there's a Guardian here spying" I finished Hathaway's sentence, she didn't want to say it but it was true.

"Jordan and Bishop, wake up every single Guardian that is currently here on campus. It doesn't matter if they're permanent or visiting, wake them up and find who is currently missing" Petrov began handing out jobs to a few of the Guardians, we had to know who was missing. It could help us in the long run.

"Someone needs to tell Adrian, he's her father. We have to inform the parents when a student goes missing" I spoke, hoping more than anything that Petrov wouldn't make me do it.

"I'll do it" Hathaway volunteered and left before anyway could object and Belikov followed her. I wasn't sure if it was because he was still annoyed at me or he might be more of use with Hathaway.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else you are forgetting to tell me?"

"No, I've told you everything. They had to have been after Dri specifically, they had to have known how the guard shifts work to sneak on campus past the ones on patrol. The dhampirs in the group came to me because they knew I was the Guardian, they had have known I was the threat and they needed to distract me so they could get her. Why aren't they awake yet?" I turned and looked at the humans, they were our only lead and they had yet to wake up

"They're human, it doesn't matter if their strength and speed was unusual. They heal at a slower rate than what we do, we just have to wait"

We stayed in the room in almost silence, the only sounds in the room were of Petrov whenever she was on the phone making whatever arrangements she needed. The Guardians that stayed in the room had taken a seat at the table in the middle while I stood in front of the cells watching the humans, hoping to catch any sign of them waking up.

"Adrian calm down" the female voice sounded familiar but I couldn't place it, I turned just in to see Adrian heading my way and it must have been Ellie that spoke since she was further behind him.

"You want me to calm down? My daughter was kidnapped under his watch!"

"He cares about her, why would he just let them take her? It's not his fault please calm down"

"I don't care, he was meant to protect her. She's gone and he was meant to watching her"

"Adrian, I didn't let them take Dri"

Adrian was standing in front of me, looking me directly in the eyes. "What the hell happened? Tell me exactly what happened" I all of a sudden had this over welling need to tell him what happened.

"We were out there talking after she had snuck out and we heard a noise, a group of about 15 come out to attack us. Ten of them were human while five were dhampirs, the five dhampir came to me plus three humans which are the ones unconscious in the cells while the rest went after Dri. I didn't see what happened to her, they eventually backed off and it was then that I noticed she was gone"

"Adrian! You shouldn't have compelled him" Ellie was standing next to Adrian, I was annoyed that I was compelled. The only thing I was hiding was what we were talking about but I couldn't tell them that.

"Petrov we found out who was missing" Jordan and Bishop had returned and everyone else stood up, everyone wanted to know who was missing and who betrayed us.

"Who is it?"

"Guardian Mathers"

"Wait, isn't he new? Didn't he just start here this year with his Moroi being killed during the summer?" I hadn't met him but I had heard that we had received a new Guardian to help out with patrols, not even much information about his Moroi had been let out.

"Yes he is, I'm going to make a call to Court to find out the extent of the accident and how he exactly ended up here. Since you decided to stay Anastas we didn't need anyone but yet he came anyway" Petrov pulled her phone out and left the room to make the call and Adrian turned to face me.

"You chose to stay?"

"It was here, Court or another academy. I stayed to help Dri through her senior year, I told her I would help her graduate. I can't do that if I leave"

He didn't say anything else and we both turned to watch the humans and it was then we noticed one of them begin to stir, one of them was finally waking up and we would finally be able to get some lead as to where Dri had been taken.

Adrianna POV

When I woke up I had a throbbing headache, I tried putting a hand to my head, it hurt like a bitch and I noticed a lump on the side. The last thing I remembered was someone grabbing me and putting a cloth over my mouth, they must have drugged me with something and then when I was out they knocked me over the head in hopes of staying unconscious for longer.

I opened my eyes and looked around the room not recognising anything, I had no idea where I was. I sat up to get a better look the room was rather large and I noticed the big wall length window, nothing looked familiar outside but I noticed the sun was setting so I had to have been unconscious for some time.

I was starting to panic, I had no idea where I was, who had taken me and why they wanted me. They had to have gone through a lot to get to me, behind the protection of the wards and Guardians. I just hope Nikolaus was alright, I didn't know what would happen if he was here somewhere with me. How long would it be until someone realised we were missing? Surely my friends would notice if I didn't turn up for breakfast and classes, would dad notice if I wasn't at meals. What if Nikolaus wasn't here with me, what if he was lying on the ground back at the academy injured and needing help?

"Good you're awake" I spun around so fast that I was dizzy for a second or two but I didn't show it. I couldn't let me know I was weak even though I was.

I thought it would just be one person standing there but there was two, a Moroi and a dhampir in fact. So it wasn't just humans and dhampirs working together it was both Moroi and dhampirs working with humans.

"Surprised to see we aren't Strigoi?" they could tell I was shocked at seeing them there but they were wrong

"No, as soon as I saw the humans and the dhampirs working together I knew that Strigoi wouldn't have been involved. If the group was purely human then yes maybe I would have expected Strigoi to be standing in front of me, it's rare for our races to work with them"

"Rare but not impossible" the way he said it made me think that they were around somewhere.

It was then that I got a good look at the Moroi, he looked familiar but I couldn't work out where from. He was just average looking but it was still familiar and I couldn't shake it, even his voice was familiar but the dhampir didn't look familiar at all.

"Do I know you?" I didn't like the look that appeared on his face

"You do actually, I'm friends with Michael. I used to visit you both when you were still living with him" I knew then and there I had to get out of there, I couldn't stay here. If I was here, was Michael here as well?

"Hold her down" he turned to the dhampir and the dhampir instantly came at me, I tried to dodge the attack but sudden movements made me dizzy from the lump on my head.

I couldn't fight the dhampir off and he was able to pin me down on the bed while the Moroi walked closer to me. I screamed as he grabbed my wrist and opened his mouth, he was planning on feeding off me and I couldn't take it.

As soon as his fangs bit into my wrist the endorphins that were in their salvia spread through my system and I relaxed on the bed, I didn't remember what it was like when Michael fed off me but this was amazing. Noticing that I relaxed the dhampir let go of me and left me lying on the bed.

The Moroi pulled away and wiped his mouth, I didn't even care to question why he had the smile on his face, I was still on my high.

"Michael was right, her blood does taste different" I barely heard what the Moroi said but I didn't care about my blood tasting different, I barely took any notice as they left.

I didn't know how long I was laying there with the high but when it wore off I looked over at the window it was pitch black outside. Getting up I decided to look around hoping there could be anything of use but the furniture was all solid pieces. I even tried picking up the bedside table and throwing it against the window but neither of them would break.

Sick of looking at the bedroom I tried opening one of the doors but the first one wouldn't budge and the second one led to a bathroom. The only thing in the bathroom that looked useful was the mirror but on closer examination it just looked like reflective metal.

Ditching the idea of finding something useful in the bathroom I went and opened the last door and it was just a wardrobe. I slammed the door shut and went and sat on the bed examining the room again. The only thing aside from the furniture was a T.V and DVD player but I hesitant to throw those, I didn't know what would happen. There wasn't even any lights, they were all flood lights built into the walls. I was at a complete loss of what to do to try and get out of it.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! A guest left a review saying that they wanted a Rose or Dimitri POV, is that something everyone will be interested in? Now please keep in mind I never once planned on writing my story from their POV mainly because Richelle Mead made them into such wonderful characters and I don't know if I can do them justice. So please leave a review letting me know what you all think.**

**LilianGrace ****thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes I'm sorry but they did take her, no the humans and dhampirs aren't the hint to what we've been talking about. They took her out of convince, as you can see Adrian did flip out but not much was seen from Rose and Dimitri.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I had a feeling you would enjoy it, I figured Dri grew up in Australia and with that grew up on vegemite like we did. It's so hard to explain what it taste like though and I honestly don't understand why people assume we eat it by the spoonful, makes no sense. Yes Dri is gone, as for who is behind the attack wait and see. I know the Moroi and dhampir in this chapter didn't get names but soon they will just stay tuned. As for the speed and strength of the humans, it's nothing special. I actually took it from the books but yes I believe that as well, Dimitri and Rose won't rest at all.**

**To the Guest named peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. It will get explained why they want Dri in a couple of chapters, same with if this has to do with Michael even if Dri is concerned about him being around.**

**Noybjazzy**** thank you for reviewing, even if it's just to say please update soon, it means a lot to me. As always I update as soon as I can, so set alerts and you will be alerted as to when a new chapter is posted.**

**To the Guest named Brooke**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. As I said to another reviewer, there is nothing special with the humans I actually took it from the books so have a think, otherwise it will be briefly mentioned in a future chapter.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I like that it was a shock, it means I'm still surprising people with my story. Yes as you can see both Dimitri and Adrian blame Nikolaus for Dri being taken because he was with her. I can assure you no serious harm will come to Dri, my story will not end here. Yes they are becoming closer friends, I figured with everything out in the open there are no more secrets between them. As always I update as soon as I can and I'm sorry for the cliff hanger.**


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59**

Rose POV

"So is she coming?" I turned and looked at Dimitri, it didn't matter how good his Guardian mask was, after all these years I'm able to tell what he was feeling and right now, I was hurting just as much as he was about Dri being taken.

"Yeah, she said she's actually not far from here so she's going to make the drive and arrive at sunrise"

"Good, are we going to tell anyone else about her arriving?"

"No it won't do Adrian any good if he knows if she's here or not, the only person we have to tell is Alberta because she's in charge of who comes and goes from the grounds"

"We will find her Roza" Dimitri closed the gap between us and put his arms around me, I instantly relaxed in his arms.

"But when? It took you all days to find us senior year and the only reason we hadn't been killed was they were hoping either Christian or Mia would drain us and turn and even then we all didn't get out alive. No one can reach her in a dream either" I hated thinking back on the day and seeing Mason's lifeless body. I just hoped it didn't happen to Dri.

"Soon and Adrian said that they could be drugging her that's why him and Mr Lazar can't reach her. The only thing Adrian could get out of the humans was a dead end of a phone number and Anastas was the one to first spot the tattoos. You and I both know that was the only reason we called her" Anastas had spotted the tattoos and when I looked at them they looked familiar but different all at the same time.

"I know, come on there is nothing else we can do until sunrise, let's try and get some rest" I nodded and followed Dimitri back to the guest housing, we both knew we wouldn't be able to rest. We would both just stay awake waiting till sunrise or some other bit of information comes our way.

Sunrise came and both Dimitri and I were standing at the entrance gates. "Rose, long time no see" my head snapped around at the sound of her voice, she hadn't changed. She still wore the same business attire and had the pin straight blonde hair, even her golden lily tattoo looked like it had just been redone.

"Sydney, it has been too long. I wish it were under better circumstances though"

"You didn't even tell me what happened, all I got told was that you've got three humans locked up in your cells. Last I heard you were at Court with Lissa and Christian"

"I told you I would tell you when you got here, come on I will show where we are keeping them. I am meant to be at Court with them but Lissa wants us both out here since she can't come"

"Very well" we all headed down to where the cells at the academy were as well as showing her the humans.

"Am I allowed in?" Sydney walked over to the closest one

"Why would you want to go in there? If they can overcome one of our novices, do you really think you stand a chance?"

"I need to get a good look at the tattoo you mentioned, I need to see if it is the same as ours but you said they were silver?"

"Yes they are silver, does it mean anything?"

"I know last time I came across this the tattoos varied in colour depending on what the tattoo did. The silver ones gave increased speed and strength but I need to be sure"

"Let's say if they are the right tattoos what can you do about it?"

"Not much, there are too many Alchemists placed in this area due to this academy. There are higher rates of both Moroi and Strigoi living here as well, so we have more to compensate for that. The tattoo will wear off over time though"

"So there goes that plan"

"Roza, it will be fine"

"Tell me what happened Rose"

"One of the students was taken but she's not just any student. Do you remember Adrian Ivashkov?"

"Yes, he was your boyfriend when you were on the run when everyone thought you killed the last Queen, he was also meant to go to Palm Springs as well but instead took off travelling the world for months" of course Sydney would remember, she never forgets anything

"It's his daughter, while he was travelling the world he got into a relationship with a human and she fell pregnant. He only found out when she was 15 and she's been here with us since, she's family to both of us as well as Lissa and Christian"

"Which means Lissa wants her found yesterday but what I don't understand is how we didn't know that Adrian had a dhampir daughter with a human, normally we keep track of those things"

"Exactly, we didn't know you kept track of that sort of thing. Do you have Alchemists placed in Australia?"

"No, we only send people out there a couple of times a year. There are a small number of Moroi and an even small number of Strigoi"

"Did you know a Moroi named Michael Voda was living out there?"

"Yes we did, we also heard he was sent to jail for the sexual and physical assault on a minor" I didn't know what to say at first, the Alchemists knew he was out there.

"Don't tell Adrian this, he will lose it"

"It was his daughter wasn't it?"

"It was Sydney, Adrian wasn't happy when it all came out and right now he's furious she was taken"

"Furious is putting it lightly Rose" I heard Adrian snap at me and I turned around to face him, I honestly didn't know what he was doing here. He said himself that he couldn't get anything more useful from the humans.

"At least you're not throwing punches at Anastas"

"If he doesn't I will" I still couldn't believe both Dimitri and Adrian were blaming him I did not need this, both of them wanting to beat up Anastas just because he couldn't protect her. We all knew there was no way he could have taken on fifteen people.

"Dimitri it's not needed, I already told both of you that it's not his fault and he doesn't deserve to be beaten up" truth was I had to give them two different speeches since Adrian didn't know the truth, he didn't know that Anastas was in love with Dri and he's probably beating himself up about it as we speak.

"I'm Adrian Ivashkov, I can see you are an Alchemist" Adrian ignored me and faced Sydney, I could tell he was looking at her tattoo recognising what the rest of us did with the tattoos on the humans.

"I've heard a bit about you, I'm Sydney Juarez" I was confused for a moment but then I remember that Sydney had gotten married to Trey Juarez, who she met at Amberwood Prep while there with Jill.

"All good I hope" Adrian looked over at me

"Chances are it all came from Jill Adrian"

"Then it won't be good, I'm sorry I missed out on all the excitement in Palm Springs and the chance to meet you back then"

"Adrian what are you doing down here?"

"Came to see if I could get more information out of them"

"Let Sydney do the job I asked her to come here for and then we can go from there" he didn't say anything in reply to me but moved closer to the cells, either he was going to compel them to get more information or help Sydney get in there and get the information she needed.

Adrianna POV

It had been a few days since I arrived here and when I first woke up I couldn't even remember falling asleep. I was confused at first but looking around I saw the plate of food, it was then I realised that they had drugged my food.

I was angry at that discovery, I honestly hoped that once I was asleep either James or dad would try and reach in my dreams. Maybe they knew who my friends and family were, maybe they knew I could be reached in dreams and they didn't want that.

So that's how the past few days went, I sat in the room staring at the T.V not seeing anyone. My food was pushed through a slot in the door and what was considered my dinner was drugged and I would pass out. I had began eating my dinner in the bed after passing out and waking up on the floor the first morning.

If my calculations were correct about how long I had been here it meant today was my birthday, my 19th birthday and I was stuck somewhere alone. I think back on the fuss I made about my birthday and not wanting a party, I would take that all back if I could. I would rather the huge party over being stuck here.

I was lying on the bed throwing an apple up and down that was left over from one of my meals, I needed something else to do apart from the T.V and this apple would do. I hadn't even showered hoping that someone would come in and I could get the jump on them but everyone had left me alone, I didn't even hear any noises when my food were pushed through the slot.

The door opened and I shot up in the bed hoping more than anything that it was a human or a Moroi that I could fight and try to escape the room but taking in the appearance of them I was shocked I couldn't move.

They were a Strigoi, a freaking Strigoi. I honestly didn't believe _everyone_ was working together, Moroi, dhampirs, humans and Strigoi had never worked together. It wasn't right, there was only one incident that I knew of where Moroi worked with Strigoi and the Moroi was killed in the end. So why were Michael and this other guy working with them, what did they get out of it?

After the shock of the Strigoi standing there in the room had worn off I got off the bed and picked up the bedside table to try and attack him with it, if he was in here there had to be a way for him to get out but as soon as I went to hit him with the table he took it from me and threw it across the room. I tried attacking him, hoping more than anything that I could dispose of him and since I had no weapons I knew there wasn't a high chance of that happening.

Mid punch he grabbed my wrist, spun me around and pushing me into the wall.

"I'm not here to kill you Adrianna, in fact I want to know what has Michael and Bradley so fascinated by your blood. We all have a plan for you but for now we need you alive" great so this guy just confirmed that they were all working together.

I couldn't even fight him since he had me pressed hard against the wall, he took a bite into my neck and at first there was pain but then endorphins kicked in and my god were they amazing. They were so much better than the bite of a Moroi.

My knees went weak and the Strigoi had to hold me up against the wall. When he was finished feeding, he picked me up and threw me on the bed before continuing out of the room, I didn't even care to follow him. The high was incredible, I never wanted to come down from it. It made everything feel so much better and I forgot about my problems

James POV

When Dri first disappeared we weren't told anything, we weren't even told that a student had been taken. We noticed Dri was missing from breakfast and classes but Adrian was also missing from my Spirit class, there was just a Guardian in there supervising me not saying anything on what happened. It wasn't until classes were over for the day that I headed to the gym in search of Dri or Nikolaus but I found the place empty.

Upon leaving I ran into Emily and Stefan, turns out they had the same idea. The three of us headed towards the dorms where Adrian was staying in hopes of finding him there and him telling us but when we knocked on the door Guardian Hathaway answered. It wasn't until we were let in that we took in the sight of everyone sitting in the suite, even Dri's brothers Matt and Nate were in there and it was then that we were told that Dri was taken from the grounds.

I had been trying for days to try and reach Dri in a dream, I was unsuccessful yet. I was beginning to worry that she had been killed but Adrian told me there was also a chance they were drugging her. Someone who was being drugged to sleep wouldn't have dreams and they couldn't be reached, it was similar to if they were in a coma except it was a 50/50 chance that they could be reached.

It was our lunch period and I had skipped lunch to sit in a classroom and try and reach her, I know I shouldn't get my hopes up but I just hoped at a certain time of the day that maybe I could reach her. I had convinced Emily and Stefan to join me in the room so they could bring me out when it was time for class except they brought food with them.

When the dream started appearing I couldn't believe it had worked, I couldn't believe I had gotten through to her. I knew how much Dri loved the sun so I put us in a garden with various animals running or flying around.

Dri finally appeared and she had her back to me, she was just wearing shorts and singlet and from what I could tell she looked fine but she was distracted by the animals.

"Dri!" I called out her name and she spun around with a smile on her face but it wasn't right. The smile on her face was similar to what I saw on the feeders after they got their fix, I couldn't believe that a Strigoi had her and they were feeding on her.

"Jaime! Have you seen the butterflies, they're so pretty" I frowned at her for calling me Jaime but she paid no attention to me and spun back around to look at the butterflies.

I walked over and stood beside her, I moved her hair aside and it was then I saw the mark. The bruise beginning to form from being bitten, she had fallen asleep from the high. Either they took too much blood or the endorphins were too much for her.

"Dri, do you know where you are?"

"We're standing in a garden silly, can't you tell by the flowers and the animals and the sun. Oh god the sun feels so good on my skin, I miss the sun. Even though I can see the sun through the window no heat comes through" she frowned but it was only for a second when a dog ran past, she smiled for a second before chasing after it.

"Dri come back here!" I didn't want to have to chase her, I needed to know where she was. We needed her to come home, the fact that it was her birthday made it worse.

"Catch me if you can!" she yelled back, I let out a sigh. I knew I wouldn't get anything from her like this, even the feeders who were nearing their limit didn't make sense or if they did you couldn't get useful information from them.

So I did what I thought would be helpful, I chased her hoping that exhaustion would help get rid of her high. I hoped that once her high was gone I could ask her questions and find out where she was or even who was holding her captive.

"Jaime, I've missed you. I'm glad I get to see you on my birthday but how come I can't see the rest of my friends and family?" she threw her arms around my neck I put an arm around her waist to hold her steady

"Because it's lunch time back at home, everyone is awake. I can't bring people that are awake into the dream, they need to be asleep. Please tell me where you are in the real world so we can come get you and then you can see everyone for your birthday"

"Jaime I can't tell you" she pulled away and shook her head at me, I really hated the nickname and it was bugging me but I couldn't say anything, I needed to keep her on this train of thought

"Why can't you tell me Dri?"

"Because I can't"

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"We were attacked...oh god Nikolaus, please tell me he is alright. I don't know what I would do if he was hurt, I don't even know if he is here with me somewhere" I watched as her eyes welled up, this was weird. She was coming down from the high too fast and she was going too deep, normally they just mellowed out but her no she was crashing and becoming depressed.

"No, Dri he's fine. He isn't hurt, he's back at the academy trying everything he can to find you but we can't get anything useful. We need you to tell us where you are" I cupped her face but all she did was close her eyes and shake her head.

This was getting annoying, why won't she tell me anything? I felt someone shaking me and when I looked at Dri she wasn't moving so I assumed it was either Emily or Stefan getting my attention.

"Dri I have to go back, I have to go to class. Please tell me where you are, I can tell Nikolaus where you are and he can come save you" a glare appeared on her face and she pulled her face out of my hands.

"No, I trusted him. I trusted him to protect me but he couldn't, they took me" she honestly couldn't think that, I wanted to know why she had crashed from the high this bad, she was going from being depressed to being angry too quickly.

"Fine, tell me so I can tell your dad. Dri your dad is devastated that you're gone, so are your brothers. Don't you want to see your brothers?"

"My brothers, I miss Nate and Matt. You should bring them here so I can see them" I watched as the depression came back and this time tears ran down her face.

The shaking was worse this time and the dream started disappearing. When I came back to the real world Emily was in front of my face looking concerned. She pulled away when I looked at her and Stefan appeared beside her, they were both looking concerned.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! A couple of people said they would enjoy a Rose or Dimitri POV so I put a small one at beginning and I will see how things go from there as to if I can fit more in later on in the story.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes poor Nikolaus, everyone seems to be blaming him because she was with him at the time. I was hoping Adrian wouldn't seem too out of character with that so I'm glad you said you can believe it. It's where I got the idea from, there are differences though. For one it's just one room instead of the suite that Rose seemed to be in, I took it because I liked the idea of the solid pieces of furniture instead of putting her in an empty room with nothing to do. No Michael's friend who now has a name, which is Bradley, isn't very nice. You will find out in due time why her blood is different. If you didn't figure out why the humans were different, the beginning of this chapter explained it and if for some reason you still can't work it out because it's past your bedtime again. They're essentially the same tattoos that the kids at Amberwood Prep were getting.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. You will find out why her blood taste different as well as what Michael has to do with everything I promise. As for school, well everyone says school is important so maybe you should focus on it.**

**To the Guest named Ashekdisla**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I put a small Rose POV at the beginning of the chapter. As Rose getting pregnant, for a couple of reasons it won't be happening. One of which is that Rose and Dimitri aren't the focus of my story, they are only background characters.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked Adrian's reaction, I was a little worried it wouldn't seem like him. I didn't cover what happened with the humans in the jail but essentially nothing of value came from them. Dri will eventually get out.**

**Moulinness**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad it was a surprise, it's means I'm still shocking my readers and it was what I hoped to achieve. Nothing bad happens to her, she will get out in the end. The humans are explained later on. I'm glad that you like Dri and Nikolaus together. I'm sorry about the chapter length though, they are normally around the 2000 – 3000 word mark for a couple of reasons, one being I hate writing long chapters and two I hate reading long chapters. Doing shorter chapters means I can spread big events like Dri being taken over more chapters and more information and I can put smaller fluff chapters in as well.**


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60**

James POV

I had just been forced out of a dream with Dri by Emily and Stefan, I'm assuming it was time for class. "What?" I spoke, I knew they were both concerned and they both wished they could come with me to see her but unless they were asleep they couldn't and right now, I'm glad they didn't see her.

"Did you find her?"

"I did but she wouldn't tell me anything, I tried so hard to get answers out of her but I couldn't get a straight answer"

"Why?"

"Because a Strigoi fed off her, she was on a high but it was weird. Her crash wasn't normal, she didn't mellow out. She would flip from being angry to being depressed"

"What makes you think it was a Strigoi, why not just a Moroi?"

"The look on her face, it worse than the feeders, so I'm assuming it was Strigoi"

"Alright well it's time for class, we need to go"

"I can't, I need to find Adrian. You go to class, I might join you later"

"James" Emily finally spoke, she had been quiet ever since I came too. She had been really upset the last couple of days since Dri went missing. I knew Stefan was upset as well but at least he was speaking, Emily barely said a word to anyone.

"I have to tell him what I at least know, it might not be much but I have to try" I picked up my bag and left the room heading towards Adrian's suite hoping he was hiding away in there.

I began having my Spirit classes in his suite since Dri was taken but even then it involved both of us trying to reach her in dreams not really learning anything in particular. I barely knew what happened, all I know is someone attacked the academy and Dri was taken. Neither him nor Nikolaus would tell us anymore, I didn't even want to go through their memories. If it was bad enough that they wouldn't tell me knowing full well I could pull the memories out then I didn't want to know.

When I entered Adrian's suite I found he wasn't alone Ellie, Hathaway, Belikov and Lord Ozera were in there as well as a girl I hadn't met before but by the looks of her she had to be Queen Vasilisa's sister Jill, which meant the guy standing in the corner was Eddie Castile, her Guardian.

"James what are you doing here?" Ellie spoke being the first one to notice me

"I finally reached her, I finally reached Dri in a dream" they all looked up at me and I could feel hope radiating off them.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know Adrian, she wouldn't tell me. Every time I asked she said she couldn't, I didn't know if it was because she was scared to tell me or she literally couldn't tell me because she didn't know"

"What do you know?"

"I believe a Strigoi is holding her"

"Impossible" Belikov spoke and I looked at him confused, why would it be impossible

"I don't understand"

"Because you wouldn't, it wasn't just humans that attacked her and Nikolaus. There were dhampirs in the mix, why would dhampirs and Strigoi work together?"

"I don't know but she was on a high, a feeders high and the look on her face wasn't normal. It didn't match the look I've seen on the feeders in the past but that doesn't matter what matters is how she came down from the high. She didn't mellow out, she crashed. Badly, she was flipping between anger and depression"

"Okay, let's say a Strigoi is holding her. That's not how you come down from the high, maybe they're just drugging her"

"If they were drugging her why would he be able to reach her a dream Rose?"

"I don't know but I'm telling you the crash from a Strigoi bite doesn't work like that, you mellow out like a Moroi bite and then you sit there craving more" Hathaway spoke like she knew from regular experiences and a pained look crossed Belikov's face.

I zoned out from their argument about whether or not Dri was being fed on when a memory was forced into my head, at first I was confused as to what I was feeling but when the head pulled away I noticed it was Hathaway that I was feeding on and the look on her face matched Dri's.

"Dimitri..."

I pulled out of Belikov's memory and stared at him, he was staring at me knowing what I had just seen there.

"That right there is the look she had her face, you have to believe me now" everyone stared at me, I honestly didn't know what I interrupted but Belikov stared at me before he let out a sigh and looked at Hathaway.

"Alright fine if you are right, why would dhampirs and Strigoi work together, the same with humans?"

"What if they aren't normal dhampirs, what if they aren't guardians promised to anyone Moroi. It's known to happen, what if they just let themselves be hired by who ever for the right amount of money? What if they didn't even know that the Strigoi are paying them, what if they thought the humans paid them to kidnap Dri" everyone looked over at Eddie, he had a good point.

"That's a theory, look James you should head back to class but thank you for telling us this" I nodded at them and turned to leave the suite. I knew I couldn't argue it, Adrian was a teacher and could give me detention if needed. I wanted to stay and help but they were still hiding information from me.

Adrianna POV

When I woke up from the dream with James I was angry and I didn't know why. I couldn't help the anger and it wouldn't go away, I sat there trying to calm myself down on the bed but it wasn't working. In the end I got off the bed and picked up the bedside table and began smashing it against the window, hoping it would help.

After what felt like eternity I dropped the table and collapsed to floor just as the tears started, I wanted to get out of here. I missed my friends and family, I wanted to go home where I was safe and protected when I couldn't protect myself.

The door opened and I couldn't even move, I just stayed where I was on the floor crying curled up in a ball.

"Hey are you alright?" that was a female voice, I looked over at her and she was dhampir. She almost looked friendly but I couldn't trust her. She was helping them keep me here, she was evil and I couldn't trust her.

I didn't say anything and she focused on my neck, it was then I remembered the bite from the Strigoi.

"I told them to make sure Elijah didn't feed off you" she shook her head as she walked over to me, I didn't know who Elijah was but I assumed it was the Strigoi. When she closer to me I backed up from her

"I promise I won't hurt you, I'm a dhampir just like you"

"No, you're helping them keep me here. Why won't you let me go home?" I spoke as the tears fell down my face

"I'm not helping them, I don't want to keep you here but they said they can help me find my mum if I do look after you"

"No go away, I don't trust you. You going to hurt me" I backed up as far as I could but I hit the wall. She stopped following me and squatted in front of me

"I promise I won't hurt you, I can explain why you feel so out of it since coming down from the high"

"No, you're just going to drug me. They're drugging my food, I'm too scared to eat"

"It explains the paranoia as well, please let me help you" I shook my head at her but all she did was sit on the floor.

"Adrianna, you're special, just like me. Our Moroi parents were Spirit users, a part of their spirit ability was passed onto us. Our blood is different as well, it taste different to Moroi and Strigoi and we come down from the high differently. We don't mellow out like people normally do, we crash, badly. We get depressed and angry, and on the rare occasion paranoid"

She couldn't be right, how could the fact that our Moroi parents were Spirit users that make us special. I was shaking my head trying to make sense of everything

"Adrianna" I looked up at her and realised she had come closer

"Go away!"

"I promise I won't hurt you, I just came in here to make sure you were alright. You need to shower and eat"

"No, they're drugging my food" I shook my head again, I wanted her to leave. I didn't trust her, everyone else that had come in the room had attacked me and fed off me. How did I know she wasn't going to attack me?

"Then at least shower"

"No because then maybe they'll leave me alone" she let out a sigh before standing up

"I'll be back later, get some rest and drink plenty of water Adrianna" I watched as she left the room but I noticed that before she opened the door she put her thumb on the door handle, it made me think that it was a finger print scanner that unlocked the door.

Nikolaus POV

I was getting restless having nothing to do, I normally only did three or four guard duty shifts a week since I spent three hours a day having private sessions with Dri and sometimes standing in on classes. That hasn't changed, I almost wished they would put me on more guard duty shifts but they haven't.

I was in the gym punching the punching bag hoping to take out my frustration of not having anything to do and my worry over Dri missing, I couldn't believe I wasn't able to protect her. I had let them take her and it was killing me not knowing what was happening with her.

When the door opened I didn't even bother turning around, I figured whoever it was either wanted to train or talk to me and if they wanted to talk to me, I didn't want to talk to them. I was ignoring everyone, the only people that could give me useful information were hiding out in Adrian's suite. They hadn't said so but I knew they blamed me for what happened to Dri, I could tell from both Belikov and Adrian's outburst when they found out.

"Nikolaus stop" it was James, I was tempted to stop and turn around to find out why he was here. I had only seen him in passing and he didn't say anything to make me think he had found Dri. In the end I decided to ignore him.

"I finally reached Dri in a dream, I don't know where she is but I reached her. She's still alive" I stopped and grabbed the bag to stop it from swinging. That was my worst fear, that they had killed her since no one was able to reach her in her dreams.

"Is she alright?" I finally spoke but I didn't turn around and face him, it didn't matter that he could feel what I was feeling I didn't want him to see the emotions on my face physically.

"As alright as someone who is being held captive can be"

"Any clue as to where she is?"

"No, she couldn't tell me"

He's finally able to reach her and we couldn't get anything useful out of it, what good was it to be a Spirit user if they couldn't find her. What if something happened to her, I couldn't handle it if something did, I don't know how I'd handle it if I lost her before I even had the chance to actually have her.

"Nikolaus, she is alive. You need to stop blaming yourself for her getting taken, there was no way you were able to fight all of those people and then the ones that Dri was fighting"

I ignored him going back to the punching bag, hoping that James would leave. Eventually I heard the retreating footsteps and the door opening and closing. When I was finally alone, I stopped punching the bag and collapsed to the floor just sitting there.

Adrianna POV

I still don't know who the dhampir girl was but I couldn't trust her, I didn't trust anyone here. But for some reason I did what she suggested, I drank water and got some rest. I must have fallen asleep because I appeared in a room that looked much like the living room back home at Court, I almost expected dad to appear. So I just there on the couch taking everything in wondering if I'll ever see this stuff again.

"You're not going to say anything" I turned my head and found dad standing there, as much as I wished I could have been happy to see James I couldn't be because of the high but now I felt normal and dad was standing there, I didn't know what to do.

"What am I meant to say? I'm scared and I want to come home, I thought that was obvious dad" I watched as he walked over and sat down next to me.

"Where are you?"

"I don't know, I have a window but I can't place it with anything I've seen before. It just looks like a vast space of greenery"

"Is there anything of use for us?"

"They're all working together dad, Moroi, dhampirs, humans and Strigoi. I've seen Moroi, dhampirs and Strigoi in my room and humans attacked us. It doesn't make sense"

"You've seen the dhampirs and Moroi?"

"Yes why?"

"Because we can't work out why they're all working together, it doesn't make sense"

"I've only seen one Moroi, two dhampirs and one Strigoi if it helps"

"Sort of, anything else?"

"They're working with Michael and there's something different about my blood. One of the dhampirs said it was because you're a spirit user, she said her Moroi parent was one as well. Did you know this?"

"How do you know they're working with Michael?"

"The Moroi looked familiar and when I asked him he said he was friends with Michael and he used to visit us in Melbourne. Back to the spirit issue, did you know?"

"I thought there was something, has James ever said anything to you about your aura?"

"Yeah why?"

"Has he mentioned the gold that is present?"

"No"

"Well at least he kept that from you, when I first saw you and looked at your aura I noticed the gold in it. The gold is only present in Spirit users, it's how we find each other but yours isn't as much as what would present in Lissa or James but it's enough to make us wonder what it would to do you. Both Lissa and I agreed to keep this from everyone, when James turned up I asked him to do the same thing"

"Do you know what makes me different?"

"No, you know how rare it is to find Spirit users. Lissa was the first one on record and her children are Moroi and they have no gold in their auras and it's the same with Matt and Nate but you do, we think it might only be the dhampirs that it affects"

I placed my head in my hands while trying to process this along with what the girl told me, could I really be that special that people wanted to kidnap me? Why weren't they holding her captive, or had they brainwashed her into to believing they will help her find her mum? Will they brainwash me?

"Dri we always assumed that since you can't perform magic that you were fine and it was a side effect of being a dhampir born from a Spirit Moroi"

"But why is my blood different, both the Moroi and the Strigoi fed off me. The Moroi said it tasted different and the Strigoi said he was curious as to what the fuss was. Apparently because of my special blood when I come down from the high it's different, I become angry, depressed and on the rare occasion paranoid"

"I honestly don't know Dri" he put his arm around me and I leaned into him

"I want to come home dad"

"I know, we want you to come home as well. We're trying everything we can to find you but we don't know where you are and the humans we've got captive don't know anything. They said that when they had you they were meant to ring a number and get further directions but the number has been cut off"

"I'll try to find something that can help, maybe if I look out the window long enough something will come up or maybe James will see something if he visits me again"

"Why haven't we been able to reach you until now?"

"They were drugging my food, I would pass out before I even had the chance to finish it"

"Very well, look I have to go back. It's time for dinner and I need to see a feeder"

"No please don't leave dad"

"I'm sorry Dri, I promise I will try and come back" he kissed my forehead before the dream disappeared.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Good I don't want you to have to fail and drop out because of my story. When I read it through a second time I had to change a couple of things but other that it's pretty much the same. I know I feel bad for Dri, having this done on her birthday. Yes everyone wants her alive and it has been confirmed it's because of her having Spirit in her blood but as for what it can do, just wait and see. I'm glad you liked the dream and Dri's acting, I tried to make it as over the top without making it seem too over the top.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes the nevermore tattoos, that's fine I know since it is a Vampire Academy story but I have pulled some information from the bloodlines series. Like Sydney and Trey for example, I figured if Adrian wasn't there to go off on adventures with Sydney in the third book why not Trey? Since I have made mention that Adrian should have been in Palm Springs I'm treating it as some of those events did happen but others not so much. In my head the Alchemists would approve mainly because he already knows about the existence of Moroi, dhampirs and Strigoi so it's one less human that knows. It is because of Dri's blood but there is also more to it that does get explained in the next chapter to be precise. Don't worry I've wondered what the Strigoi bite is like as well. Yes James' mum does call him Jaime, it's been mentioned in previous chapters. No taking the animals away wouldn't have worked and I think James realised that and decided to do what she wanted until she spoke.**

**To the guest named Brooke**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. It's alright you aren't the only one. This chapter explained the mood swings and in the next chapter you find out why they want her.**


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61**

Adrianna POV

After my conversation with dad I couldn't process everything that I had learnt, he knew that there was something special about me and that Spirit was the cause of it. I wanted to know how much more the dhampir girl knew but she hadn't come back.

In fact it had been a couple of days since I saw her, I was starting to worry about what they were planning for me but at least they had stopped drugging my food. I was worried the first time food turned up, I hoped that either James or dad could continue to reach me in my dreams and if I was still being drugged it wouldn't happen.

I wasn't being drugged but I was scared, I didn't know what was going on. I had done what I suggested and spent some of my time staring out the window but there was nothing, I rarely even saw birds and when I did they were the same ones I saw at St Vladimirs.

"Hoping to find a way out?" I couldn't move at the sound of the voice that belonged to Michael. How the hell did he escape, I turned around almost expecting him to be a Strigoi but he was still a Moroi and he was alone.

I took this as my opportunity, I got up off the chair and in one swift motion swang it across his head knocking him out cold. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to the door hoping his thumb print will open it, when I heard the door click I dropped his wrist and pulled the door open so I could leave.

On the other side of the door I looked around there wasn't anyone in sight, I wondered who was actually here. I had only seen five people, maybe they thought I wasn't a risk and only five people were needed here. I began sneaking through the house trying to find a way out or even a weapon that I could protect myself with if I came across anyone.

I had searched room after room and found nothing, they were all similar to what the room I was being kept in, in terms of furniture and nothing that could be used as a weapon. I couldn't believe the fact that there was dhampirs, Moroi and Strigoi all living under the one roof and not a single weapon. What would happen if the Strigoi turned on them? The only thing I could think of was that they had silver stakes on them and not lying around in the open.

"Adrianna what are you doing out here?" I spun around at the sound of the voice, it was the female dhampir. I didn't know if she was annoyed or shocked, I just hoped she would help me.

"You have to help me escape, please I want to go home. Come with me, we can help you find your mother. Some of the best guardians I call family and I'm practically related to the queen, please help me"

"I can't, they know where my mother is and they will help me but I need to keep you here" it was then I saw the flash of silver on her, I just hoped it was a stake.

In class we were always told not to aim for the head when sparring with our classmates but we were shown how to incapacitate humans and dhampirs by hitting them in the head, I just hoped I could do this to her and not kill her. She was just wants her mother back.

I threw the punch and she dodged it too easily, I frowned knowing I was weak. They weren't giving me enough food to keep up my strength, neither was the fact the Strigoi was still feeding on me.

"Adrianna stop this, I'm trying to help you. I got them to stop drugging your food"

"No if you were trying to help me, you would let me go. You would help me escape, you would come with me and not work with a Strigoi!"

"The Strigoi is under control Adrianna"

"Yeah what about the rapist that escaped from jail then?"

"I don't know what you're on about"

"Michael, he raped me when I was younger. I helped put him in jail and now he's here" I obviously told her something she didn't know and she faulted, it was enough to get a hit on her and knock her head against the wall.

When she dropped I quickly bent down and looked for the stake, I found and grabbed it. I had a weapon now I just needed to get out of here, I hoped I could get far enough before they caught me. I reached the end of the hallway and there was only one door left, I opened and it looked like a basic room but it was completely empty. I was confused, why was there an empty room in this big house?

"How did you escape from your room" I quickly spun around and found the Strigoi standing there, it was the same one that fed off me and I surely hoped it was the last one in this house.

I didn't answer, instead I pushed the stake up the sleave of my jumper to try and conceal hoping he would think I'm weapon free. I waited until he came at me hoping I could block the attack and get the stake through his heart, I knew if I went for him I wouldn't get the chance to put the stake through his heart.

The Strigoi must have gotten sick of me not doing anything because he came running at me, from his height and body structure I assumed he was a human before he turned and that was a benefit for me. He wouldn't know what to expect from dhampirs, novices at that. I stood my ground and waited until he was close enough allowing me to get a better aim at his heart and hope it was enough to kill him.

The silver stake broke his skin and he screamed out in pain, stopping in his tracks. It made me think that maybe he was a brand new Strigoi, I knew it hurt them but this was weird. It was almost like I was burning his skin in acid. I didn't think about it anymore and made another move to put the stake through his heart.

I didn't know what to expect when the stake went through his heart, would the body disappear, would it burn up or would it just disappear? I watched as the body collapsed to the floor, it didn't disappear. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't believe I had killed someone. I made a grab for the stake hoping for it to be of use and made a run for the doors at the other side of the room.

Before I reached them and they opened revealing two humans standing there and they guns in their hands, I thought they wanted me alive. Why would they have guns? They both aimed their guns at me and it was then I noticed the tattoos on their arms, they didn't look right. They were a metallic colour

Only one of them shot their gun hitting me in the leg and when I looked down at my leg I noticed a tranquilizer dart in my leg. The ass holes shot me with a bloody tranquilizer, I collapsed to the ground and everything blacked out.

Nikolaus POV

I was getting sick and tired of them not telling me anything, I was annoyed that I was being kept out of the loop. Belikov and Hathaway kept to Adrian's suite preventing me from asking them questions. I needed to know what was going on to help get Dri back, James hadn't said anything to me since he told me that he finally reached her and she wasn't dead. It was the only bit of good information that I had received since she was taken.

Being fed up I headed towards Adrian's suite hoping someone could tell me something. I knocked on the door and it was a few moments before it opened and it was Belikov standing there.

"Adrian's not here" he went to shut the door but I put my hand out to stop it.

"Then you can tell me what's going on, I haven't been told anything. Alberta said the case has been taken out of her hands and moved up to the Courts"

"Dimitri he deserves to know what's happening to Dri, he loves her. It must be hurting him as well as it is us" I heard Hathaway's voice, I just hoped no one else was around to hear what she just said

"Fine, come on in and we will tell you what we know"

Belikov stepped aside allowing me to enter the suite, I followed him into the living room where Hathaway was sitting and I was grateful to find she was alone.

"Where is Adrian?"

"He's visiting the jail that Michael is in, Dri told him that the Moroi that have her are working with him. He's going to see what he can get out of him"

"Wait Moroi are holding her, I thought Strigoi had her"

"We don't know what is going on, she says she has seen Moroi, dhampirs and Strigoi in her room" this was the weirdest thing I have heard. There is no incident on record where both Morois and dhampirs are working with Strigoi.

"What about the humans?"

"Our suspicions about the tattoos were correct, they are similar to the Alchemists ones in a way. These ones increase speed and strength, we spoke to the Alchemists. There is no way for them to work out which of their kind are supplying the humans with the ink, there are too many of them in this area" I remember noticing the tattoos, I was confused at the start because of the metallic colour but then I remembered it reminded me of the ones the Alchemists have and when I pointed it out no one said anything except they follow it up.

"So the phone number they gave us didn't lead to anything?"

"No it was cut off, we don't know what else to try. We suggested going to visit Michael instead of Adrian but he said it would be better if it was Spirit user since they could compel answers and Lissa can't exactly go without the whole guard"

"We can't leave her there, what if they're just biding their time before they kill her"

"We know this, you don't think we're trying everything we can?"

"How about you stop keeping me out of the loop and let me help, you're all forgetting that I care about Dri too!"

"Nikolaus" I looked over at Hathaway, neither her or Belikov had ever called me by first name. "We know you love Dri and you want to help but honestly there is nothing we can do from here. We're waiting to hear from Adrian as to what Michael knows"

Before I could say anything a phone rang, Belikov looked at it and said it was Adrian. Hathaway and I were silent while he answered it but it was hard only hearing the one side of the conversation.

"What did you find out?...What do you mean it wasn't him?"

There was a lapse of silence from Belikov and it just worried me, I wanted to know who wasn't who and what was going on.

"Are you bringing her here?...We're still in your suite and will be when you get back" had Adrian found Dri, was he bringing her home?

Belikov hung up the phone we stared at him, we both wanted to know what happened but Belikov didn't say anything at first and it was annoying me.

"Dimitri what happened?"

"Adrian said that it wasn't Michael, it was another Spirit user changing her appearance to look like him. If the visitor records are correct then he has been out for a week or so, around the time Dri went missing but since she's a Spirit user we can't be certain. Adrian's bringing her back here so we can question her, we're working on the idea that Dri is still around here somewhere. If the Spirit user gives us something useful then we can plan and attack quicker than if we were at Court"

I didn't know what to say, after everything Dri went through with Michael to make sure he was put in jail for good has just been reversed. He had escaped and he had a Spirit user help him, there wasn't even any word on who this Spirit user was except that she was a female and she was coming here.

I didn't want to sit there and wait around for who knows how long, I stood up and left the suite hoping for something else to distract me long enough for Adrian and the Spirit user to arrive.

On my way towards the gym I ran into James, all he said was you're coming with me. Having nothing better to do I followed him, knowing he wanted to get Dri back as much as the rest of us.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It was actually Dimitri's memory, I'm sorry if it didn't come across that way. In my story they are past it but there are times where their past troubles them. There is something special about James but I think it's the Spirit ability and it's how he comes across. Yes he was very brave by going and talking to Nikolaus and telling him that Dri was still alive because that was his worst fear, that whoever took Dri had killed her. I'm glad you liked the scene with Adrian and Dri, don't worry Dri will get to go home soon enough. You will find out what Michael has to do with everyone soon enough but I can assure you he doesn't want to do experiments on Dri.**


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62**

Adrianna POV

When the dream started to appear in front of me I was confused, the last thing I remembered was getting shot with the tranquilizer dart. I didn't realise I could dream if I had been shot with a tranquilizer and at this point I didn't care. I didn't know who I was going to see but I was grateful, it had been too long since I had seen dad or even James. I missed everyone else immensely

I was back in the same garden that James had us in making me assume that James was causing the dream to appear but I couldn't look around for him, I didn't want too. I was still picturing the dead body, it only happened moments ago but it wouldn't go away. Was it always this hard to forget about the dead bodies, was that why no one liked talking about them?

"Dri are you alright?" hearing James' voice just confirmed that it was his dream, I turned around and gave him a smile just hoping he couldn't tell it was fake

"Yeah, I'm just surprised your here"

"Why what happened this time?"

"I managed to escape from the room but I got shot with a tranquilizer dart"

"How did you escape the room Dri"

"That doesn't matter, look Michael's escaped. He's here, I've seen him. You have to tell dad James"

"I'm sure Adrian already knows if he's escaped" I stared at him not knowing what to say but all he did was close his eyes and concentrate on something.

I wanted to know what he was doing, I just hoped he wasn't focusing on my memories. I didn't want him to know about me killing the Strigoi, I didn't want him to know what had been happening here. I know I told them bit and pieces but I couldn't tell them how bad it was, I know James and dad both knew I got fed off at least once but since I last spoke to dad they had come back, the Strigoi more than anyone and I couldn't take it anymore I wanted to get out of it and my escape attempted was a bust.

James finally opened his eyes and I thought the smile he had on his face was weird, what made him so happy. I figured this was what he would look like when I was finally home but not now. I cocked my head at him but all he did was shake his head and point behind me.

I scrunched my face up at him letting him know I was confused but turned around anyway and the sight I saw was enough to stop me in my tracks. Nikolaus was standing there and he looked fine, not battered and bruised like I was afraid he was. It didn't matter that James had said he was fine, I was still worried he had been hurt. Him noticing me I could see the relief on his face, he must have been as worried about me as I was about him. I seriously wished that both dad and James didn't keep things from him but maybe it wouldn't mean anything until he saw me himself.

"Dri" he was so quiet, I had never heard him this quiet, I didn't know what to expect.

"I was so worried about you" I stepped closer to him hoping more than anything that he put aside the whole nothing can ever happen between us. He didn't say anything at first, all he did was laugh. God I missed his laugh, I missed him smile and I even missed the Greek accent that I loved so much on him.

"Why, you were the one that was kidnapped and being hold somewhere. We didn't even know if you were alive until James finally reached you" he reached over and brushed my hair behind my ear and I hoped more than anything he didn't see the bruise left from the feedings. I watched as he eyes went down to the bruise, I knew this wasn't going to end well as I watched the anger flash through his eyes.

"Don't I'm fine" but he ignored me and moved my head so he could get a better look at it. He ran his fingers over my neck and I couldn't help the flinch that happened.

"I'll kill them" he removed his hand not wanting to cause me any pain but I couldn't tell him why I actually flinched.

"He's already dead"

"What do you mean he's already dead Dri?"

"Dead as in a stake through the heart and the body collapsing to the ground" he didn't say anything but I heard James gasp behind me, I almost forgot he was still here.

Nikolaus put his arms around and pulled me close to him, I wanted to stay like this. I felt safe and protected with Nikolaus and waking up meant it wouldn't happen.

"I'm sorry" he whispered as he kissed the top of my head

"Why?"

"Because you had to kill someone, the first is always the hardest"

I didn't say anything, I just tightened my grip on him not wanting to wake up. I didn't know what would happen once I woke up, would they be angry. If there was another Strigoi in here would they come and deal me or would the male dhampir come and deal with me, what are the repercussions of killing the Strigoi that I did.

"We will find you Dri, please keep that in mind"

"I know, I'm just scared about what's going to happen" I pulled my head away from his chest and looked at him but it was then that everything started shaking.

"James what's happening?" Nikolaus spoke letting me know I wasn't the only one that felt the shaking, it was weird. I could feel the shaking but I couldn't see it

"Someone's trying to wake Dri up, you should say goodbye before she wakes up"

I looked at Nikolaus and frowned, I didn't want to wake up. I knew that much

"Dri I promise we will find you, we're trying everything we can. Don't lose hope"

"I won't as long as they keep coming back" I knew dad and James couldn't visit me every night but every couple of days or so was helping give me hope, seeing them.

"I love you Dri" I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face as he said that

"I love you too" I leaned up hoping he would let me kiss him, he was a little hesitant at first but he kissed me back for a moment before pulling away.

I didn't get the chance to say anything since the shaking got worse and I was woken up. When I opened my eyes the dhampir girl was kneeling beside the bed, I sat up and moved back on the bed not knowing what she was going to do.

"You shouldn't have escaped like that, they're angry and I'm trying my hardest to make sure they don't hurt you"

"You're doing a shit job, they're still feeding on me and why should I trust you? I don't even know your name"

"My name is Clary and I want to keep you safe, I was trapped here too but I was given more freedom by agreeing to make sure you were fine. They need us both alive Adrianna"

"Why?"

"I don't know, they said only my mum knows the answer. They know where she is but they won't bring her here"

"Then escape with me, I told you my family can help find her"

"It won't work"

I had to convince her that escaping was the best option but I didn't know how to prove to her that my family could find her mother.

Adrian POV

I had finally made it back to St Vladimir's with the Spirit user that was pretending to be Michael in the jail and she had said a single word on the flight over. Nathan stayed on the plane to go back to Court and be with Ellie while Shane got off and escorted her to the cells in one of the schools basements while I went back to my suite to collect the others.

Once everyone was in standing in the room staring at the cells that contained the three humans and the Spirit user we hoped to get some more information out of any of these people. Either Rose or Dimitri had contacted Nikolaus to let him know I was back, I didn't know why they had decided to bring him in on everything but at this point I didn't care. Another set of eyes was maybe what we needed at this point.

"You're making a mistake keeping me here, some things going to happen if you keep me here" the Spirit user finally spoke.

"Why are we making the mistake?"

"It's not going to end well you keeping me here"

"Why were you pretending to be Michael in the jail cell?" I thought maybe a change of questions she might answer, I couldn't even compel since she'd know what I was doing.

"They have my daughter, they said if I help them I can have her back. I was told I would only be in there for a couple of weeks before they broke me out"

"Do you know where you're daughter is?"

"I know the general area but wouldn't be able to give you an exact address"

"Tell us, they're holding my daughter as well. Please help me get my daughter back and we can get yours back as well"

"Is she a dhampir?"

"Yes she is, why?"

"They won't give her up without a fight, they need her"

"Why, why do they need her?"

"Both her and Clary are special, there's Spirit in their blood from having a Spirit user parent"

"How are they special? I knew she was special, I saw the Spirit in her aura but it didn't make sense to me"

"Their blood is special, it's said that if a Moroi drains them off their blood completely that when they turn into a Strigoi they keep all their Moroi abilities"

"What do you mean they keep their Moroi abilities?"

"They keep their magic, the sun won't harm them anymore it would you or me and a silver stake isn't harmful to them either like it is to a Strigoi" there was silence in the room, no one knew what to say.

We had heard rumours in the past about the abilities of Spirit, the first being it existed and it did. The second being that it could restore Strigoi given the right circumstances and it did, we also heard rumours that Spirit could help two dhampirs have a child together and both Rose and Dimitri were devastated when they discovered that one was just a rumour. But now this, could Dri's blood be able to do this?

"Don't you think if they have Dri, that they want to hurt Clary as well?"

"They said they won't, they said if I did what they wanted I would get her back"

"Dri said she has only seen one dhampir girl and two Moroi, don't you think that with two dhampir girls and two Moroi that both Dri and Clary would die?" Dri only said she had seen one Moroi but I hoped she would believe me and even if Dri hadn't seen Michael wouldn't he be there if he was involved in this?

"No, you must be mistaken. They promised me that I would get her back"

"Help us find them and you can have her back, I promise you that much"

This was the one Spirit rumour that I hoped wasn't real, I honestly hoped that they drained the other dhampir girl and realise that their blood didn't do anything. I didn't want to lose Dri, I want to find her and bring her home.

She nodded at me and I looked around at everyone else, they were just as worried as I was about Dri now. We didn't know how much time we had until they decided to drain the girls and we needed to find them soon.

"My name is Adrian, if you promise us that you won't try and fight us but you will help us. We will let you out, remember I'm a Spirit user like you and these three are all dhampirs"

"I understand and I promise, I just want Clary back. My name is Eliza"

Dimitri was hesitant but eventually let Eliza out of the cell and we all sat down at the table as she began to tell us where she believed them to be holding Dri and Clary. From there we added in what we knew from what Dri told us.

Once we had everything we needed that we had access to the dhampirs began making plans as well as phone calls to arrange for more Guardians to turn up to help us get Dri and Clary back. They were within driving distance and we had to move quickly.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!  
**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As for what they are keeping from James it's nothing to secret, it's just the full details of the attack, about the Guardian that was spying on them, how they would have gotten in, how they had three humans in their cells and what they learned from humans even if it wasn't much. As you can see Clary, as she now as a name was sort of the link, her mother knew the general area as to where she was. Yes it is interesting and I have a few ideas of how to play with the idea of Dri having Spirit in her blood. Nikolaus and Dri finally got to see each other, it wasn't exactly the passion you were hoping for but that is mainly because James was there. I'm glad you loved the line about losing her before he had her. The dream with Adrian, yes he was a bit too calm but I made it that way for a reason. Adrian didn't know what he was going to expect with Dri, he heard from James how she was when she came down from the high. He didn't know if she was on one and actually calm or if she was still feeling the effects and her mood would flip at any moment. Yes Michael essentially did walk out, I figured why not get a Spirit user to help her and yes you were right the Spirit user named Eliza is Clary's mum, good guess. Yes she will get her tattoo when she returns and speaking of Rose, Rose finally tells Dri how she received her first two on return as well. As for what James had planned for Nikolaus it was the dream and him having the chance to see Dri.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Dri did kill her first Strigoi and she was shot but it was just a tranquilizer, no harm done. Yes essentially Dri will get a tattoo when she returns to the Academy but there's more to it, so wait and see. This chapter revealed what Michael wants and in the next one you will Dri's reaction to the news.**

**Gaberygirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As always I love the excitement that comes through on your reviews. Don't worry they do find her soon, I didn't plan on having her there forever. I like it when I get reviews stating that you didn't expect something, it means I'm still shocking my readers and putting in ideas that aren't obvious or expected.  
**


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter 63**

Adrianna POV

I tried and failed at convincing Clary to help me escape, I knew she was only my shot at getting out of this room. I didn't think for a second that anyone else would visit me now, they had to believe I trusted her in the slightest if they were still sending her in my room.

Clary left after telling me that she wouldn't help me escape, she didn't care. She said her mother meant more to her than my life, I almost picked up the table and threw it at her but I needed her to come back. Her coming back gave me another chance to convince her that we needed to leave.

I was shocked when I heard the door open, I didn't expect Clary to come back this soon. When I looked up I saw Michael standing there, I was shocked he came back. Even more shocked that he came back alone considering what happened last time.

"You know you've put us in a tough position, you attacked me and then killed Elijah"

"I'll attack you again"

"You won't get far, there are two dhampirs on the other side of the door" two, I wondered if one of them was Clary or if there were more people here than I thought

"Exactly how many people are here?"

"I'm not going to answer that, you'll add it to the escape plan you have in your head. Just like I know you won't attack me again because it's too obvious since you did it last time"

I didn't care if it was obvious, I picked up the chair and threw it at him. It connected with him and I used it as an opportunity to make a run for the other side of the room where the table was. I had been using the table to beat against everything with every opportunity I had in hopes that it would eventually crack and break.

"Adrianna you can't keep doing this" I honestly hoped that hitting him with the chair would knock him out but I must not have thrown it hard enough.

"Then let me go, let me go without a fight I promise I won't hit you over the head again with this"

"I'm not letting you go, I need you alive"

"Why do you need me alive, give me one good reason why I shouldn't smash in the T.V and grab the glass?"

"Because we need your blood, your blood is the key to the perfect eternal life"

"You don't need me for that, anyone with blood can do that"

"You don't understand, your blood has Spirit it in. If I drained you right now I will gain eternal life but keep everything about me that is Moroi"

"You're lying, there is no proof of that" I was hoping to use the conversation as a distraction to hit him with the chair but this stopped me, I couldn't believe it. This couldn't be true

"You don't actually know if I'm lying or not do you?" he smirked at me

"Tell me then, if my blood does do that why did you send me away all those years ago?"

"I didn't know who your father was back then, just that it must have been an Ivashkov. Even though your blood tasted different I didn't know why, it wasn't until Bradley and I met someone after you left that we discovered why you tasted different"

"That's when you tried to get out of Jason where I was?"

"Yes and it wasn't until he saw you in Montana that I knew you were at St Vladimir's"

"And that's when you turned up and took the teaching position in hopes of getting to me"

"Exactly" I still didn't like the look on his face, it was starting to freak me out and I couldn't take it anymore, I swang the table at him knocking him unconscious once more, allowing me to make a run for the door. I used his thumb print again to get out of the room and when I was in the hallway I found that it was empty, I couldn't believe the asshole lied to me about having two Guardians guarding the door. I hoped by going the other way down the hallway to what I did last time I might find an exit quicker.

I still had no idea if there were any more Strigoi here but I hoped I could get by, by only incapacitating the Moroi and Guardians I came across. I honestly didn't want to have another image stuck in my head of a dead body.

At the end of a hallway was a set of stairs both going up and down, from the room I was trapped in it looked like I was on the ground floor. Was that done on purpose to confuse in hopes of getting stuck in this house. For all I know this was another trick, the stairs went down to a basement and the stairs went straight up to the roof not allowing me to get down. I took a chance and headed downstairs in hopes of that being the ground floor and finding a door to the outside.

Downstairs was basically an open large room with large windows, I was lucky that this was actually the ground floor and I could see outside, I could see a way out. I just hope I could get far enough away from this house to get help or even find a phone to call home and then they could come find me.

I rushed over to the windows hoping for a hidden door but everyone single one of them was just a plain old window and they wouldn't open. I stood there at a loss of what to do to get out at first, I looked around hoping for something to smash the windows in, I wanted to get out of here. Finding no furniture in this room, I quickly ran back upstairs to look for something. Finding a heavy metal ornament, I grabbed it and headed back downstairs and went over to one of the windows.

Before I threw it at the window I stopped, why had I not run into anyone else? I knew there was at least another Moroi, two dhampirs and two humans in this house and none of them had come my way. If this was a potential way out wouldn't they be guarding it, surely the dhampirs would know that. They were trained the same as I was, we were trained to find any possible way out. It didn't matter if it involved breaking things, and these windows were a way out once they were broken.

Pushing the thought aside I threw the ornament at the window and put my arms over my head as it connected and smashed through. I stood still for a moment trying to hear any noise that made it seem like someone had heard the smashing of the window but I heard nothing. I looked outside and it was dark, I knew this was a stupid idea running out into the dark without a weapon when there was a chance there was still a Strigoi in this house. Even if there wasn't, I could run into one outside.

I decided that I would rather face a Strigoi than Michael and I headed outside to try and get away from the house. Once I was outside I didn't know which way to go I looked around for some sign of life but I couldn't even see a flicker of light that suggested someone was living there, there were too many clouds out so I couldn't see the moon to help work out what the time was. In the end I just ended up heading east hoping for the best.

I didn't get far from the house when I heard Michael yell my name, I thought he would have stayed unconscious longer than this. I did hope I could get further away, giving me a bigger head start before they started looking for me.

I was growing tired from all the running and I was still nowhere near full health, they weren't giving me enough food and I swear I was still affected from the last feeding someone did. I saw a tree nearby and did what I thought was best, I climbed it and covered myself as best as I could hoping that Michael would pass right by me.

I sat there in the tree silently trying to catch my breath, I knew that if Michael caught me I would have to fight him and it wouldn't be as simple as me throwing a table or chair at him. I had no weapon on me, fighting a Moroi went against everything I had been taught at St Vladimir's. We were taught to protect them from the Strigoi, not to cause injury or kill them because they were the problem.

It was when I heard his footstep that I knew he had found what direction I went in, I couldn't let him find me. I needed to stay quiet.

"Adrianna I know you are here, you novices always think you're invincible. Able to run for as long as you wish but you all have weaknesses, you need to stop and rest. Why do you think we have been practically starving you and feeding off you, it keeps you weak"

I couldn't believe they were doing it on purpose, they were keeping me weak so that when they wanted to kill me it was easier enough for the Moroi to overcome me.

"You can't ignore me, I will find you eventually. You know we have more than one Strigoi, I could just as easily send one out here to look for you"

I didn't know if I trusted him or not, he lied about their being two dhampirs outside my door. Actually I never trusted Michael, why would he be right about another Strigoi coming at me?

"Actually I know what will get you to come out, what if I set the Strigoi on your family, or that Guardian you're so fond of. What was his name, Nikolaus?"

My family was safe behind wards, there was no way a Strigoi could get to them. Was there, if I had been grabbed behind the wards, were my family safe? I didn't want my family to get hurt, I wanted to keep them safe. They were all Moroi, it was my duty to protect them even if it meant risking my life.

"You're considering coming out just save your family now aren't you, you know as well as I do that if we could get to you we can get to them"

I couldn't believe him, how was he able to know what I was thinking. Was it that obvious how much I loved my family and I would do anything to protect them or was it because I was a novice and he knew that I would protect all Moroi, if that was the case he had to know I wouldn't protect him. I would sit back and watch while he was being killed, hell if I would most likely want to beat him up myself.

I silently climbed down from the tree and appeared behind him, he had yet to notice me. I took his distraction as a good sign and I used the opportunity to creep up behind and take out his legs causing him to drop to the ground.

"I was wondering when I would eventually get you to come out of hiding"

"You can't threaten my family and expect me to let it go"

"They aren't your family, you can't expect Moroi to love a blood whore like you. Moroi don't care for dhampirs like they do other Moroi" Michael stood up and I backed up from him

"You're lying, you don't know anything about how my family cares about me"

"I wasn't able to do anything to you while we were both at St Vladimir's since I was a teacher but now, there is nothing stopping me and I have learnt a thing or two since I kicked you out of my house"

He run at me and I instinctively defended myself, I honestly didn't know if he had learnt a thing or two since I was kicked out of his house but he didn't know enough to get one over me. It wasn't an easy fight but it wasn't anywhere near as hard as the other novices or even Nikolaus, Rose or Dimitri.

It was more he knew how to defend himself than throw punches at me, the openings I found would make contact but it wasn't enough to get a jump on him. I hadn't even realised he had moved us away from the trees and out into the opening until I looked around hoping to find something to knock his head against but they were gone and there was nothing around.

It wasn't until he pulled out the gun that I panicked a little, I didn't know if he knew how to use one or not. If he did this could be the end of me, the only thing I could do is try and get the gun away from him. I tried to recall all the gun training we had to be able how to grab the gun from him without him being able to shoot it at me.

After who knows how long I was able to grab the gun to try and pry it from his hands. We were both pulling on the gun and just as I was about to pull it from his hands it went off.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! Yes I know, it's another cliff hanger, I'm so sorry!**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes her blood does do that but as to if it actually works, you'll have to wait and see. Yes they finally said I love you to each other after it all came out. I'm glad I made you happy and you found that scene really cute, I wanted to put something in where Nikolaus finds out about her killing the Strigoi but I wanted it to be before she escaped and made it back to the academy.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Aw I like the idea that you are so excited for my updates that you stay up late to read the chapter, I'm sorry for that. I do it so when I wake up in the morning I can read the amazing reviews I get left. I'm glad you liked the spirit dream where Dri got to see Nikolaus, I'm sorry if it wasn't the passion you wanted but with James present I couldn't do much about that. Yes it was a little bonus, Nikolaus didn't keep his distance because he wants Dri home, he's worried about her. I'm glad you loved that they both said I love you and the kiss. Clary may or may not escape, I do have a plan in mind for her so she won't disappear from the story completely. But yes if the rumour is true about what Dri's blood can do then a Spirit Strigoi would be sort of unstoppable, I'm assuming that to kill them you will have to cut their head off or set them on fire, you'll just have to stay tuned as to if the rumour is true and they would be killed. **

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Again I'm glad I got another shock in, yes it is something that's different and I'm glad you like it. I was a little hesitant to how people would react but so far I've heard good things, so I might run with this idea again later on in the story.**


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64**

Nikolaus POV

Once we had made our plans we got on the road to go and find Dri, we just hoped we could get there in time. Ever since Eliza said that because Dri's blood had Spirit in it and that if a Moroi fed off her and completely drained her they will become a Strigoi but keep their Moroi aspects they usually lost. I didn't want to lose Dri to this, there wasn't even any chance that it was true. It was all just speculation.

We had to wait for more Guardians to turn up before we could even leave the academy but once we had enough we all jumped in the cars and took off. We just hoped that there was more of us than there was of them, we didn't know what we were going to run into when we finally reached where we were going.

When we made it to the area that Eliza had told us about it was dark and there wasn't anything around, it was a massive clearing but we could see a light in the distance. We all piled out of the cars and headed towards the light hoping that it was a house and that was where Dri was.

It turned out to be a house, a big one at that but we split off into groups and worked around the outskirts of the house entering at different points while still keeping in contact. We had 4 groups in total and I just hoped it was enough, I couldn't lose Dri. I barely had her and I knew I wanted to be able to call her mine.

I pushed aside the thoughts of what would happen if I lost Dri as we decided to enter the house at this point. I was the leader of this group and I led everyone through the house, I could hear over the ear pieces that other groups had been found and they were being attacked by who was here. Numbers were coming in about them having to fight humans and dhampirs, I was instantly worried about Dri. Where were the Moroi and Strigoi that she had told us she had seen here, or did we have the wrong house completely and Dri wasn't here?

Only two of the groups were being attacked which allowed my group and one of the others to freely wander the house in search of both Dri and this unknown dhampir girl named Clary. We were checking rooms every time we went past doors, every one of them was empty but each time we reached a new door I just wished that Dri was locked in there.

We had just checked the last door on this hallway before we turned the corner to head down the next hallway, I was getting frustrated at not being able to find her when we heard something.

"Bloody hell!" was yelled by a female before a door slammed.

I turned and looked at the other Guardians in my group and they nodded at me. As a group all we turned the corner ready for an attack but when all we saw was the one girl that had spoken.

"Please don't hurt me" she spoke calmly and held her hands up to show she had no weapon

"Give us one good reason"

"Because they're holding my mother somewhere, I was only here because they told me if I did what they wanted I would get her back"

"Who is your mother?"

"Eliza Barber" that was the Spirit user we had left in Adrian's care back at St Vladimir's, which meant this had to be Clary. I hoped she knew where Dri was

"Are you Clary?"

"How do you know my name?"

"We have your mother Clary, she is safe, I promise. Do you know where Adrianna is?"

"She's gone"

"What do you mean she's gone?" I growled at her, I couldn't believe this. We had finally found where Dri was being kept and she wasn't even here anymore.

"I don't know, I saw the fight break out upstairs and I came down here to grab her. She had been trying to convince to help her escape but once I saw the fight I knew we weren't safe anymore"

"You weren't safe to begin with, where would have Dri gone?"

"I honestly don't know, I didn't see her upstairs so maybe she went downstairs"

"Jordan, take her back to the cars and wait there for everyone else" Jordan nodded at me as she walked over to her and grabbed her arm.

I watched as the two of them left, I took the fact that Clary was still alive as a good sign. If Clary was alive then hopefully Dri was as well. We continued down the hallway and we reached the stairs Clary must have come down from, we didn't know exactly where in the house the rest of the groups were and we didn't know what to expect going up or down. We decided to split up with half going upstairs and the other going downstairs.

We made it downstairs and the room was empty, nothing in it but there was a window that had been smashed. As much as I was worried about Dri escaping into the middle of nowhere at night, I was glad that she had been thinking on her feet and found a way out. We went through the window and were at a loss of what to do, we couldn't split up again since there was only three of us left. Just as I was about to say over the ear piece that we had an idea of where Dri was and wait for them that was when we heard a gunshot and it was shortly followed by a scream.

There was something in me that told me it was Dri and I went against everything I was taught to wait for back up, I took off towards where the gunshot and the scream came from. I kept running just hoping that I could get to her and that she wasn't shot, or if she was that she was still alive and I could help her. I could hear footsteps behind and it was enough to know that whatever I was going into I wasn't alone.

We finally reached the scene and I found Dri standing there staring at a Moroi body trying to wipe the blood off herself and a gun lying on the ground. I was so relieved to see she wasn't harmed but as for what she was thinking I had no idea, I didn't know the extent to what had happened to her while she was here. She hadn't even noticed us approach her, the other two Guardians with me were from St Vladimir's and knew that I should be the one to handle this, I could only hear them over the ear piece saying that we had found Dri so I assumed they had stayed back but close enough to keep an eye on us.

"Dri are you alright?" her head snapped up at me and it was almost like she didn't recognise me at first, or she didn't believe that I was actually here

"It's not my blood" I was even more relieved to know she wasn't physically hurt but then she looked back at the body

"What happened Dri?"

"He threatened you and my family, I couldn't keep hiding. I was scared he was going to hurt them, he said he was going to send the Strigoi they were working with after them and I couldn't take it" she went back to trying to wipe the blood off, she looked so hurt and broken about what happened to her and it broke my heart.

"Shh, it'll be okay Dri. I promised you we would find you and we did, now we're going to take you home" I walked over to her to try and calm her down but she threw herself at me, I wrapped my arms around her and that was when she broke down in my arms.

We were still standing like that when Belikov, Hathaway and the rest of the Guardians that were with us found us. Both Hathaway and Belikov were relieved that she wasn't physical hurt and I could tell they were both worried about what was going on in her head.

"At least we don't have to worry about Michael anymore" I looked over to where Hathaway was kneeling in front of the body.

I was too worried about Dri to even think about the body, I wanted to make sure she was alright and it was wrong. It should be my first instinct to check the Moroi over the dhampir but Dri changed everything, she was my main concern coming in here. I was glad to know that Michael was dead because it meant that she now had a piece of mind concerning him, he was no longer after her.

"Wait, where's Clary? Please tell me she's fine, she didn't know they wanted to hurt us. She just wants her mother back" Dri finally spoke shocking everyone, she had been silent since they turned up ignoring both Belikov and Hathaway

"She's fine Dri, we found her and she's at the cars with Guardian Jordan" she didn't reply but I could feel her nod against my chest.

The whole way back to the academy Dri clung to me, she wouldn't let go of me. Even as we walked to the cars she was holding my hand tightly, I noticed both Hathaway and Belikov share looks or even watch the two of us but I didn't question it. I just wanted to get Dri back to the academy where she would be safe, I wanted to return her to family and friends.

By the time we made it back to St Vladimir's the sun was up indicating night time for everyone and I was glad, it meant we could get Dri in without anyone noticing and bothering her. All the Guardians left us, most likely going to report to Petrov or return to their Moroi if they were visiting Guardians but Hathaway walked over to where I was cradling an asleep Dri in my arms.

"Give her here Nikolaus" this was the second time Hathaway had referred to me by my name and it was still weird.

"It's fine Hathaway, I can take her to her dorm"

"She needs to shower and wash the blood off. Trust me it's what she wants the most right now, let me help her"

"Alright" I reluctantly handed Dri over to Hathaway

"I promise I'll keep an eye on her and call me Rose" she gave me a small smile as she headed off with Dri

Adrianna POV

I don't remember how I got from the cars to the bathroom, in fact I didn't even know which bathroom I was in. It didn't look like the one I was used to in the novice dorm.

"Dri you need to shower"

"Rose?" I turned around and found her standing there, I thought I was with Nikolaus. How did I end up with Rose?

"Yes, come on you need to shower. A hot shower will help you will feel better, I promise" I shook my head at her but she ignored me and walked over to and began helping me undress.

As soon as I was in the shower and felt the hot water pouring down onto my body, I couldn't help it. I broke down again, I had been through so much and that split second when the gun went off and both Michael and I were standing there not moving I had no idea who had actually been shot. I was terrified it was me that had been shot and that I was dying. I didn't want to die, I still had so much I wanted to do. I wanted to graduate and be able to have some sort of life with Nikolaus, I wanted to at least try anyway.

"Dri what happened out there?" I heard Rose from the other side of the curtain

"How many times am I going to have to tell this story?"

"I honestly don't know, I know Lissa will want to know. Alberta will defiantly want to know since you were under her care..."

"I may as well tell everyone at once, you get everyone that needs to hear it here and I will tell them all at once" I cut her off, I didn't want to have to tell it over and over.

I only wanted to tell it once and try to forget, two dead bodies stuck in my memory were two too many. I knew I was being trained to kill Strigoi but I didn't know it was going to feel like this, did it always feel like this?

"Dri what happened with the Strigoi, we were told you killed one. How did you get a weapon?"

"I came across Clary and I managed to knocked her unconscious and steal hers when I was trying to escape the first time. I got lucky, he was so distracted by the pain of the cut from the stake that I had an opening to put it in his heart and I did" I was sitting under the water leaning against the wall of the shower, not really having a shower. I just wanted to sleep

"Alright, are you finished in there?"

"No but the blood is gone and I want to sleep" I stood up and wrapped a towel around my body before I walked out, I found Rose standing there with clothes for me

"Here put these on, you can sleep on the couch instead of going back to your own dorm"

I was grateful, I didn't know what would happen if I went back to my dorm. Would my friends find me and annoy me to find out the details of what happened or would they wait till I was ready but what about everyone else, would they bug me?

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! I had one reviewer post that they were confused as to why Dri didn't come across anyone else on her escape from the room. This chapter happens at the same time as the previous one, Dri doesn't come across everyone since they are all upstairs fighting against the Guardians coming.**

**Brooke**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes as you can see Dri is fine, well physically anyway, mentally may take some time for her to recover.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you found the chapter exciting, yes Dri had to fight Michael off and Michael got the worse end of the deal and is now dead. No it's not but there was a reason behind keeping her weak, it meant that the Moroi whether it was Michael or Bradley would be able to overcome her when they wanted to fed off her.**

**Ilovesos9467 ****thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Don't worry Dri is physically fine, I'm glad you love my story it means a lot to hear that and I hope you keep reading it!**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As you can see Michael got shot, as I stated above this chapter happens at the same time of the previous one. Nikolaus didn't miss Dri by much. No Dri isn't asleep and James won't appear in a dream but Nikolaus did find her and I'm sorry about the cliff hanger but sometimes suspense can be a good thing.**


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter 65**

Adrianna POV

I don't remember what happened, one minute I was dreaming and the next minute I was screaming and someone was shaking me trying to wake me up. I don't remember what the dream was about or even what caused the screaming, all I remember is hearing Nikolaus in between my screams.

"Dri, please wake up" concern and worry were written over his face as he was looking at me. "Are you alright, what happened?" he spoke when he realised I was actually awake and looking at him.

I didn't know how to answer him, I couldn't remember what happened. I just threw myself at him held on to him tightly, as soon as he found me yesterday I felt safe in his arms and I wanted that feeling back.

I looked around the room and noticed Rose and Dimitri standing off to the side both looking as worried as Nikolaus did, when they realised I was awake and I would be fine with Nikolaus they turned and went back into the bedroom

"Please don't leave me" I had my head rested in the crook of his neck as I spoke, I didn't even know if he heard me or not. At first he didn't say anything in reply but he stood up and pulled me with him so he could sit beside me on the couch, he put his arm around me and held me close.

"I won't leave if you don't want me too but what happened?"

"I don't know, how come you're here. I know it's not morning"

"After you left with Rose Dimitri said I could come by and check on you. He had a feeling you would feel better with me here. Do you remember what happened after I found you?"

"The last thing I remember is asking about Clary, I don't remember coming back here"

"You wouldn't let go of me the whole way, you didn't speak or even look at anyone. Dimitri was worried but Rose convinced him to leave you alone, something about how she knew what was sort of going on in your head. The only reason you didn't fight about going with Rose to shower was because you were asleep when I handed you over"

"It's because I feel safe with you, you always said you would protect me" when he didn't reply I was worried so I looked up at him, he was annoyed but I had a feeling it was more with himself. "Hey it's not your fault" I moved my hand to touch his face but he jerked his head away and I frowned at him

He turned and looked at me, his anger disappeared. "I'm sorry but we aren't alone"

"You're seriously worried about Rose and Dimitri?" I snapped at him

"Dri"

"Forget it, because I know what follows that. It's the whole I'm your teacher and we don't know what's going to happen to you once you graduate and I don't know where I'm going to be blah blah blah" I pulled away from him and sat at the other side of the couch resting my head against the back, he turned and looked directly at me. I could tell he was hurt by what I said but we both know it's the truth.

"I'm sorry please come back here" I shook my head at him and I could see the hurt flash through his eyes for a couple of seconds before they hardened over and his Guardian mask appeared. I knew then and there I had pushed this too far but I didn't care, Rose and Dimitri were the last people that could judge us and they knew it.

"What happened when you got here?"

"It was quiet when I reached the door but you started screaming as soon as the door opened and I rushed straight over to wake you up"

"It must have been the door, every time I heard it. I would panic about who was coming in, were they going to feed off me, was this the point when they were finally going to kill me and when I first saw Michael that was the worst"

"How often did they feed off you?"

"When I first arrived it was just the Moroi when he first visited me, it wasn't until a couple of days later when the Strigoi first turned up after that. I dunno once a day maybe more, once I had completely come down from the high I would pass out or I would pass out before the high had passed"

Nikolaus didn't say anything, he shifted on the couch so he was closer to me. I knew what he was going to do and I didn't want him too, I didn't know how bad the mark was I stopped looking at it. I closed my eyes as he leaned over and brushed my hair aside so he could have a better look, I couldn't even help the flinch that happened when I felt him brush his fingers across where the mark should have been.

"I'm sorry" he whispered and when I opened my eyes his face was in front of mine leaning against the back of the couch. Before I fell in love with him I never realised just how amazing the colours of his eyes were, now I constantly got lost in them. They were a warm chocolate brown with gold flecks in only the left eye, they were imperfect and I loved it.

"It's not you, it doesn't hurt. It's just instinct now" I watched as his hand moved, at first I thought it was going back to my neck but instead he placed it on my cheek and stroked it with his thumb

I was confused, why could he do this but when I tried to do it he pulled away. "Not so worried about them now are you?" he smiled and it wasn't the same one he got when he was secretly laughing at something I said or did. This one was genuine and I rarely saw it, it was different and I liked it so much better on him.

His face was so close to mine and it was tempting to just kiss him, I had been fighting it ever since I opened my eyes and he was there but I couldn't fight it anymore. I leaned over and pressed my lips against his.

He pulled away and rest his forehead against mine. "Dri" was all he managed to say before I kissed him again.

I didn't hear the sigh but I felt him relax and kiss me back, I knew he was worried about Dimitri and Rose but at this point in time I didn't care about them. They were the last thing I was worried about right now. He moved the hand that was on my cheek and placed it on my lower back and pulled me closer to him, while my hand wrapped around his neck.

I don't know how long we were like this before there was a cough, I felt Nikolaus tense up but I moved my hand from his neck to his cheek before I turned to look at who interrupted us.

"Please tell me you two didn't lie to me when I was last here, you both said you were both acting as well as you could after what happened and now this. Dri you even said you weren't in love with him"

"Wait you said that?" I looked over at Nikolaus

"He came out before I even realised that I felt something for you"

"Wait a second, you two love each other and have told each other and are now in a relationship?" I looked back at Dimitri and he looked plain confused for a second before he turned and walked back into the bedroom.

"What's happening" Nikolaus whispered as I shifted on the couch to make myself comfortable against him

"He's getting Rose, even though he has a younger sister he has no idea what to do when it comes to teenage girls being in love"

"But Rose?"

"Yes because him convincing Rose that it wouldn't work between them really worked out didn't it?"

"What am I doing awake Dimitri?" Rose spoke as she rubbed her face walking out of the bedroom

"She loves him Rose"

"And you woke me up in the middle of the night for that, I already figured that one out. I'm going back to bed and you two, please don't have sex on the couch" I frowned at Rose but all she did was smirk before pushing Dimitri back into the bedroom

"See not so bad and you were worried about them coming out"

"Dimitri looked like he wanted to punch me again" I yawned in reply. "Come on you should get some more sleep"

"Please don't leave"

"I wasn't going too, I promise"

He shifted and moved both of us so we were lying down on the couch and he had his arm wrapped protectively around my waist but I moved it so his arm was tucked under mine. It was the safest I had felt in over a week when falling asleep.

When I woke up in the morning I could hear Dimitri and Rose having a conversation, I assumed they were standing in the doorway to the bedroom watching Nikolaus and I.

"How can you be okay with this?"

"You're seriously going to argue the fact that a teacher shouldn't be in love with their student" I knew Rose well enough to know she was right and both her and Dimitri knew it, I also knew she would have a smirk on her face just to emphasis the fact to Dimitri

"You're right I can't but do you honestly want her to go through what we did?"

"No I don't but there's nothing we can do about that now and you know it"

"I know but how did you know she loved him?" that was funny, Dimitri didn't question about Nikolaus loving me.

"The way she latched to him but I've had a feeling for a while that she did. I even asked her when she told me they had sex but all she said was she didn't know what she felt"

"I wonder why she didn't tell me, we've always told her that anything she tells us we won't report back to Adrian" the way Dimitri spoke, I didn't realise I had hurt his feelings by not telling him

"Oh come on comrade, look at what you did when I told you. You took off to the academy to go and beat Nikolaus up, I don't think she kept it from you because of Adrian. I think it was because she was protecting him" Nikolaus pulled me closer at this point but it wasn't until he softly kissed my neck that I jumped away from him falling on the floor with a thud

"I'm sorry Dri" Nikolaus got off the couch to help me up while Rose and Dimitri walked over to us

"You were listening Dri"

"Of course I was" I grinned at Dimitri and he shook his head. I sat back down on the couch with Nikolaus while Rose and Dimitri took a seat on the smaller couch

"You were really just protecting him, you weren't worried that I was going to tell Adrian"

"I was, even when I couldn't remember what happened I trusted him. I knew he wouldn't have taken advantage of me and honestly at the time I thought it was a mistake"

"But now?"

"I don't know, maybe the feelings have been there longer than I've known and I hadn't realised I can't tell you that. I also know you won't go to dad about something unless you think it's important or I'm putting myself in danger or something. I just hope this is something that can be kept from dad"

"We won't tell Adrian about this but if you two keep making out and making it easy to be caught like earlier than he might find out"

"It rarely happens, he won't allow it but how come Dimitri was questioning about how you knew about me being in love with him not the other way round?"

"They already knew Dri" I turned my head and stared at Nikolaus, I didn't know what to say at first

"Since when?"

"Since around the same time Michael turned up, after Dimitri left with Christian both him and Rose came back. He caught me watching you only because Michael was in the cafeteria during lunch. He questioned it and it went from there, he told Rose and then Rose spoke to me about it"

"Who else knows?"

"Shane and I'm guessing you already figured out that James knows"

"That's what he meant..." I zoned off remember what Shane said during the summer about us having sex, 'I don't understand the severity of what happened'

"Who meant what?"

"It doesn't matter, when's everyone coming here for me to tell them what happened?" I looked over at Rose knowing she would have organised it either while I was still in the shower or once I was out

"Everyone from Court is arriving later today but Lissa is addressing the school beforehand"

"Do I have to go to that?"

"No, Alberta's actually thinking about sending you back to Court for a couple of days"

"No it's fine I'll stay here. I would rather go to classes, can I see Clary?"

"Dri she was helping keep you there"

"Only because they were keeping her from her mother, if they threatened her like they threatened all you than I can understand"

"What do you mean they threatened us?" Dimitri spoke, I was beginning to forget who knew what

"When I escaped the house, I reached the point where I couldn't run any further so I hid in a tree. Michael had followed me and to get me to come out he threatened to send someone after all you and my family, I couldn't take it so I came out of hiding. Please let me see Clary"

"Dri you can't, both her and her mother are locked up until someone decides what to do with them. It doesn't matter if she was doing what she was told because they had her mother, she still helped to keep you there and her mother helped Michael escape" I couldn't believe what Dimitri was saying, Clary honestly didn't even know any better.

"Fine, I'm going back to my dorm to have a proper shower and get changed" I stood up from the couch and when Nikolaus grabbed my wrist I pulled it out of his grasped and left the suite heading back to the novice dorm, I knew he was following me but I didn't know what to expect.

"Dri please stop, do you honestly want to go back to the novice dorm when they are all going to be there. Everyone knows you have been missing from here" I suddenly stopped and turned around to face him shocking him

"Just drop it, you and I both know you can't care this much in public. I just want to go back to my room, it does have a lock on it"

"And you and I both know that you don't have to be a bitch to me because of what we can't do in public"

I didn't reply to him, I didn't know what to say. I knew he was right, I didn't have to snap at him for caring. He had always cared and it wouldn't change whether or not he was in love with me. I headed towards the novice dorm ignoring Nikolaus' calls for me to stop.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. That makes me feel happy knowing you are going to continue to read my story. Yes everyone is safe now, Dri is still freaked out and it will take a bit for her to get over what happened. Rose is there to help Dri because she cares about Dri. She is just like Rose and early on in the story a few people actually made the comment about how Dri is like Rose and it was because the two of them spent too much time together.**

**Moulinness**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Dri managed to get away, I know a few people were annoyed because of the cliff hanger and I was sorry it happened that way. I'm glad you thought the kiss was sweet, things do turn out alright in the end it's just the rocky path that lies between now and then they have to get through.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I promise cliff hangers aren't every chapter, I try not to do them all the time but even though everyone hates them it makes them curious about the next chapter and they're more eager to read it.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Dri is finally safe and she will get to her friends and family soon. Yes retelling the story will be hard for her, it's why she told Rose to get everyone that needs to hear it to the academy so she could tell them all at once. Yes Michael is officially gone from the story.**


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter 66**

Adrianna POV

I honestly didn't expect dad to be the one to collect me when it was time to tell everyone the extent of what happened when I was kidnapped, I expected it to be either Nikolaus, Rose or Dimitri but I was so glad to see Dad. I had honestly missed him, when I first saw him I just put my arms around and held him not moving or saying anything.

I didn't even know the room we were in, I just expected to be in the Headmistress' office again like when everything finally came out about Michael. I also didn't expect the number of people who were also in the room, even though I knew most of them were from Court I didn't even recognise half of them. Most of them were Guardians so I assumed they were the ones more interested in the details then what I went through.

I explained everything that happened beginning with the attack at the academy and how it was both Guardians and humans that attacked us, I explained them feeding off me and how they were drugging me. I told them about Clary and how I believed she honestly didn't think they were going to hurt us in hopes that she wouldn't be locked up, she doesn't deserve it. I explained what happened when Michael first turned up and how it led to my first escape attempt, how I killed the Strigoi and that I believed I was just lucky and then when the humans turned up and shot me with a tranquilizer dart.

I told them that it was the second time Michael turned up and I escaped, going a different way which led me to the windows allowing me to smash one of them and escape. I told them how I hid in the trees to try and pass time but then Michael coaxed me out by threatening my family and I couldn't let them get hurt.

The last thing I told them was the gun, after that I didn't know what else to say. I didn't remember much, I barely remembering having a conversation with Nikolaus. No one said much to me, they asked questions and I answered them as best as I could. Unless they were speaking to me I zoned out of the conversation.

"Miss Ivashkov" I looked over at Alberta

"Yes Guardian Petrov?"

"We all feel that you would be better if you spent the rest of the week back home at Court with your family, we can give both of your brothers tomorrow off as well" if they were only giving Nate and Matt tomorrow off that meant today was Thursday, I had lost track of the days and I didn't have a clue until just then.

"No it's fine, I would rather stay here"

"We would also like you to see a psychologist"

"I'll pass on that as well" I looked down at my hands, I didn't see the point in seeing one.

They had tried to force me to see one after Christmas break freshman year, dad was worried since I hadn't made that many friends that were novices and I had no Moroi friends. He was worried I was going to distance myself from them and ruin any chances I had at being a Guardian but I kept blowing off the sessions and proved him wrong by making friends that were Moroi.

"Dri"

"Don't start on this dad, is this finished can I leave?"

"There's one more thing we have to discuss Miss Ivashkov"

"What would that be Guardian Petrov?"

"You need to receive a Molnija mark since you killed a Strigoi" I stared at her for a moment, I didn't know what to say. Everyone was quiet, it was obvious they were waiting for me to answer

"No thank you" I pushed my chair back from the table to the leave the room.

I had expected someone to say something but no one did as I left the room, I hadn't heard of anyone rejecting the idea of getting a tattoo. They didn't wear them like badges or show them off but all Guardians had them, it was a part of the job and right now I honestly didn't know if I wanted that. I didn't know if I wanted to kill people, it didn't matter that they were going to kill me if I didn't kill them first. They used to have lives and families, they were either human, Moroi or dhampir.

I didn't know where I wanted to go, I wanted air and I wanted to think but classes were on and there was nowhere to go without the risk of running into to someone and getting asked 20 questions about where I had been. So I took off towards the borders and hoped the further away I got from the buildings the less likely it would be that someone would find me out here. When I hoped I was far enough I laid down on the grass and looked at the sky, watching the stars.

"There you are" I didn't know how long I had been laying here watching the stars but when I heard Rose's voice I sat up and looked at her.

"Why were you looking for me?"

"Because you took off Dri, everyone is looking for you. They're worried, you declined going home for the weekend, seeing a psychologist and receiving your Molnija mark"

"What's the point in going home? Dad lives here and Ellie is already here, I could just spend the weekend in dad's suite with them. I didn't see the psychologist when dad wanted me too in freshman year so why would I now and I don't want the stupid tattoo"

"What about Lissa or Christain they're going back home tonight with the rest of the Guardians that are here, along with me and Dimitri. Why don't you want the Molnija tattoo Dri?"

"I killed two people Rose and I can't get the imagines out of my head, all I was trying to do was escape so I could come home. I didn't set out to kill anyone"

"You think any of us do?"

"Rose I know what half of your marks are from, when you went looking for Dimitri you killed numerous Strigoi. I don't know if I can do that"

"I didn't with my first two, in fact it was a very similar situation to what you were in. Long story short me and some friends of mine during senior Christmas break took off to the local town to look for some Strigoi that were rumoured to be there. In the end some humans managed to kidnap us because they threatened to kill the Moroi we had with us. When we were trying to escape the two Strigoi stopped us, my friends manage to escape and I was stuck there. Two of my friends came back to help me but one was killed and another helped me by distracting one of the Strigoi at one point. I didn't get lucky with my kills through Dri, I had to fight and work hard for them. I almost died as well but I got through it, you need to get the tattoo Dri"

"Why was I never told this before?"

"None of us like talking about our kills Dri, most of mine are different because I was on the hunt for Dimitri or I got them for the attack on the academy but you don't know about anyone else's"

"Guardian's talk about them in classes all the time"

"It's different and you know that, you have to learn about them so those Guardians offer up their kill stories. Most of the stories you hear are after the Guardians have been in the field for a couple of years, it's not as traumatic for them"

"Doesn't mean I want the stupid tattoo"

"Why not?"

"Why do I want a reminder of killing someone?"

"You won't even see it"

"What is the point of getting the tattoos? Why can't someone handle paperwork that keeps record of how many kills we have?"

"I don't know the answer to that Dri"

I didn't say anything in reply, I doubt I would change my mind until someone could tell me why we got the tattoos, I wanted to know what the point was behind them. When Rose realised I had finished talking she stayed silent as well.

When I heard a noise behind me I turned around and found Nikolaus walking towards us. I turned back around and Rose kissed the top of my head before she got up and left, leaving me alone with him.

"I'm surprised Rose turned up first" I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on them looking out across the grounds.

"Both her and Dimitir told me that she was better suited to speak to you, something about knowing what's going on in your head"

"Something like that"

"Are you going to tell me what's going on in your head?"

"I did last night"

"I didn't even know half of what you told us today happened, why didn't you tell me about it Dri?"

"Because I didn't want to tell the same story 10 times" I tilted my head and looked at him, I wish I didn't. Even though I knew he was concerned the only emotion I could see was pity and I hated it.

"Here, I found this" he held his hand out and my necklace fell. I was devastated when I woke up and realised it was gone, it was my mums and I couldn't believe I lost it.

"Where did you find it?"

"On the ground after I realised you were taken, I'm assuming it was pulled off in the struggle" I sat up and pulled my hair aside so he could put the necklace on for me. When Nikolaus had the necklace done up I felt his fingertips softly run across the exposed skin. "You didn't flinch or launch away from me this time"

"I think it's because I asked you to put the necklace on and I can't keep being afraid of Moroi, I can't go back to how I was freshman year"

"You'll be fine, you have been around your classmates for three years and none of them have ever done anything to you"

"I know this"

"You will be fine but I wanted to ask you something about your necklace"

"Let me guess, it's why I decided to read that letter then?" the necklace was left for me in the letter marked to be read when you miss me the most.

"It is, how'd you guess"

"I know you a lot better than you think. It was back when I was trying to figure out what I was feeling for you, I knew Rose is always there when I need her but I just wished my mum was alive so I could have her advice"

"What was in the letter?"

"It was long, it covered heaps of different things some of which I won't ever have to worry about. Like for example when I have my first child and I'm freaking out because I don't know what to do. But there was a section on love and it helped, not a lot but it did"

"Alright, now since I'm sure your mums letter wouldn't have covered anything about being kidnapped are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, I just want to get through the weekend. Can we train tomorrow?"

"No we can't, you're meant to get your tattoo tomorrow"

"I already said I don't want it"

"I know but why don't you want it?"

"I don't see the point in getting a tattoo to remind me of how many people I've killed. Why do we have to have them?"

"But you won't see them, it's just everyone else and I don't know. It's just something that every Guardian gets, it's been that way for centuries"

"Right and that's just as good, looking at someone's neck and knowing how many people they're killed"

"Dri they're not people, they're Strigoi and if you don't kill them they kill you"

"Then why didn't the Strigoi kill me? Why did he just feed off me?"

"I don't know, maybe him, Michael and the other Moroi were all in on something together. Both of the Moroi's thought they needed your blood, maybe that's why he kept you alive"

"It's stupid, I don't want the tattoo. I don't like the idea of knowing how many kills someone has" I got on my knees and looked around at the back of Nikolaus' neck to have a look at his tattoos. "See and just like that I know you've killed 8 Strigoi...8 Strigoi, really?"

"Dri what is this really about? I know you've had the tattoos explained to you before, why are you questioning this now?"

"I actually killed someone, it doesn't matter if Michael did all that stuff to me when I was younger. I didn't want to get revenge by killing him, I was fine with him being locked up in jail for life" I looked at him with tears in my eyes.

He didn't say anything, all he was lean forward and cup my face. I didn't know why he was doing this, we both knew why we couldn't do anything. We couldn't risk his reputation and I also believed we were protecting each other from the hurt of being spilt up when I graduated. What shocked me was when he leaned forward and kissed me, if I looked back at every kiss we had I had always started it. I was the impulsive one that would take the risk.

"Dri you're only getting one tattoo tomorrow, to represent the Strigoi you killed. I can assure you that you aren't getting a tattoo to represent the Moroi that was killed"

"But I will know that the first one is for both of them, I don't want it"

"Alright look at it this way, Michael wasn't innocent. He should have been in jail for what he was charged for but instead he broke out, kept you hostage and planned to kill you. You prevented that from happening and prevented him from killing future people like you just because he thinks your blood can give him eternal life"

"How do you deal with knowing you've killed 8 people?"

"I think of all the innocent people I've given a future to, if I didn't kill them they would have killed myself or other people. Let's say Michael did drain you and it did work, he would go around killing whoever he wanted and he wasn't limited because of the sun. If it didn't work he would be a regular Strigoi that kills when they feed Dri"

"Okay I get it, I took a bad person out of this word"

"How about this, you get your tattoo tomorrow and I'll get permission from Petrov to take you, Emily and Belle on a shopping trip?"

"Really you're going to come on a shopping trip with three girls?"

"Yes, I've resulted in bargaining so you can get your tattoo"

"I could really use the shopping trip, how about this. You get permission from Alberta first and then I'll decide?"

"I suppose I can work on that, here this is your birthday present. I was planning on giving it too you but you know what happened" I smiled as he pulled out a small box from his jacket pocket.

I grabbed it and opened it, I honestly didn't expect anything from him. When I opened the box I couldn't help the smile that appeared.

"It's not the same one but it's similar" I pulled it out and realised it was a bracelet instead of a necklace, it looked very similar to the one I saw on the shopping trip earlier in the year where I ran into Jason. It was the tree of life symbol with an opal gem in the middle, my birthstone.

"Thank you, it's perfect. Hey when's your birthday?"

"July 3rd"

I was silent staring at him and he knew why I was as well. It wasn't the exact time we were in Melbourne but we were still meant to be there for that date, in fact our original flight home was set for the 5th. He agreed to come with us over his birthday instead of being able to see his mum.

"Why did you agree to come with us, why didn't you go see your mum?"

"My birthday isn't exactly something we celebrate anymore Dri"

"What why?" I looked at him, I was confused. I didn't know anyone who didn't celebrate their birthday

"Dri my brother was killed on my birthday" normally when he spoke about his brother I could see the Guardian mask appear but this time, it stayed off and I could see the pain and regret written across his face

"You've got to stop blaming yourself for that"

"I'm going to see Petrov, you should take this time to sneak back into your dorm"

"Nikolaus"

"What?" he snapped at me, I couldn't believe he was angry at me because I told him he shouldn't keep blaming himself.

"Forget it" I stood up and left him sitting there alone

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467 ****thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter**

**LilianGrace ****thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed Rose's comment, I figured it was something that Rose would say. No Rose doesn't care because it's not something she can judge Dri on, since she was in a similar situation with Dimitri whereas Dimitri is worried about what they will go through once it comes out about what is happening between them both. I'm glad you're enjoying the fluff between Nikolaus and Dri, I promise there is more to come.**

**To the Guest who reviewed Chapter 63**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Clary didn't go with Dri because she honestly believed she was going to get her mother back. No a Strigoi with Moroi powers wouldn't be good at all. Yes Dri is loyal and loving, her friends and family mean everything to her and she would risk her own life to protect them whether they were Moroi, dhampir or human.**

**To the Guest who reviewed Chapter 64**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I have a feeling you also reviewed chapter 63 but since there is no name, I'm unsure. Yes Dri is alive and safe, I never planned for her to badly injured while kidnapped. I figured the mental issues she would end up with out of it would be bad enough. Yes Dri was in shock and she was glad that Nikolaus was the one to find her, he was happy he kept his promise about finding her. Dri only wanted to tell everyone at once so she didn't have to tell it over and over again like she did when Michael first appeared, having to relive everything over and over again hurt and this time round would have killed her if she had too. Yes she will take a while to heal.**

**To the Guest who reviewed Chapter 65**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Nikolaus is worried about Dimitri and Rose, he's worried about how they are going react to the idea of them. Yes that was my plan for their feelings to come out after they had sex, I always planned for them to get together. I'm glad you liked Dimitri response and him getting Rose, I was a little worried it would come across wrong. You will find out in the next chapter her friends are with her.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved the last chapter and all the Dri and Nikolaus moments I have been putting in.**


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter 67**

Adrianna POV

I was back in my room and had been hoping that my friends had heard I was back and come and see me. I had lost my phone at some point and dad hadn't organised a new one for me yet, something about other things being more important.

There was a knock on my door and I didn't really want to get up, I figured it would be Nikolaus coming to annoy about how things ended so I ignored it but the knocking got louder. I let out a sigh, gave up ignoring the banging and went and answered the door. As soon as it was opened someone threw themselves at me, it was the blonde hair that gave Emily away. I looked at them and noticed the rest of my friends standing there.

"How did you know I was back" I stepped back into the dorm pulling Emily with me allowing the rest of my friends to come in and shut the door. I was happy to see both Carter and Lucas with Emily, Stefan, James and Belle.

"Your dad rang me earlier, said something about how you should be around your friends right now"

"Thanks James" I gave him a smile as I stepped back towards my bed while still holding on to Emily, she had yet to let go.

"It isn't a problem, how long have you been back?" Emily had finally let go but she stayed beside me on the bed

"Got back late last night, I spent the night in Rose and Dimitri's room and then this morning in meetings telling them all what happened. What's being going around here?"

"Only we know that you were taken, we didn't even tell Jeremy. But Lindsay tried to start a rumour that you went home because you couldn't take it"

"James doesn't know the whole truth. All novices believed something happened to you, there has been an increase in Guardians here. Most of the Moroi haven't noticed them but the novices have and with you missing some assumed you were actually missing"

"Thanks Carter, I was trying to keep from her that most of the novices had realised she had been kidnapped"

"Guys don't argue, it doesn't matter if I know or not. I just wanted to know what everyone was thinking of me being missing"

"How are you coping after what happened?" I looked over at Belle, it made me wonder how much my friends actually knew. I knew James knew about me being fed off but would he have told them and right now I knew my hair was covering my neck.

"As well as I can be, but I have some good news. Nikolaus said he might see if he can organise a shopping trip for us" Belle and Emily's eyes both lit up while the guys complained

"No offence but after living with Emily all summer, I don't want to go shopping with her"

"Lucky for you Stefan you weren't invited. It was just the girls" I smirked at him and James shot me a look but I shook my head at him. He was the only one of my friends that knew about Nikolaus and I while Emily and Stefan knew that I loved him and everyone else didn't know anything.

"I would love too but I can't Dri. I have an assignment due on Monday that I haven't finished, actually I haven't started it"

"Oh come Belle you seriously haven't started that. I offered to help you with that"

"Calm down Lucas, I will be fine. I know what I'm doing" I smiled at the sight of those two fighting, I had really missed my friends.

"Why didn't anyone tell Jeremy what happened?" I watched as they all shared a look. "He did ask didn't he? All this time he had been trying to get me to talk to him because he still wanted us to be friends"

"No he did ask but none of us knew what to say, last we heard you were alright with spending time with him in groups but not ready for the friendship you had before you two dated" I stared at Emily for a second before getting off my bed and leaving my dorm.

"Dri come back here" I heard a few of them call out to me but I didn't stop or say anything. I just kept going and I didn't stop until I was in front of the door to Jeremy's dorm, I didn't even know if he would be in here or not but I hoped. I knocked on the door and waited for it to open, by now all of my friends had realised what I was doing and must have stayed back not wanting to witness what was going to happen.

"Dri what are you doing here?" I could tell he was shocked when he opened the door to find me standing there.

"Finding out what you know, what do you about where I've been?"

"Nothing, I realised you weren't at meals or in classes and I was worried. I tried asking our friends but they wouldn't tell me anything. What happened?"

"I was kidnapped from here and held hostage, you deserve to know since we are friends"

"We're friends?"

"Yes and I'm sorry it's taken me this long to say something. I just didn't know how to be friends with you after what happened but being there made me realise I shouldn't throw our friendship away"

He didn't say anything and I was worried, I didn't know what to expect to happen. Instead he reached out and move my hair aside, he moved the hair to the wrong side. I honestly had no idea how he knew to look at my neck, was it something he suspected or was it because he actually knew me that well or was it something else. When he went to do the other I took a step back.

"Don't Jer" I warned him but he didn't listen he reached out and frowned when he saw the bruise. "I told you not too" he grabbed my arm and pulled me into his room and shut the door behind us.

"What happened to you?"

"What the bruise wasn't enough?" I snapped at him

"Fine don't tell me but I still care about you Dri"

"What you still have feelings for me?" that got me, I didn't know what else to say

"No they're gone, much like I think yours are gone too but I believe you were still hurt by what I did"

"You're right I am, well I was. I'm not anymore, I want us to be friends again Jer"

"Then tell me what happened Dri"

"Fine, yes I fed off but by both Moroi and Strigoi. The Strigoi is dead though"

"That explains why the bruise is bad but why was there both?"

"We don't know, all we know is that they were working together. Jer everyone was, Moroi, dhampirs, humans and Strigoi. I saw all of them"

"Wow, that's a first. How are you coping with it?" I shrugged at him as I walked over and laid down on his bed.

"I'm sick of people asking it, you know Michael was behind it all except his dead now too"

"Why do I have a feeling there is more behind the deaths then you're letting on" he walked over and sat down beside me

"I killed both of them, I'm meant to be getting my tattoo tomorrow but I don't want it"

"How come"

"I don't see the point"

"You know I've missed you Dri"

"I know I've missed you too Jer I just didn't know how to be friends with you"

"And now?"

"Not knowing whether I was going to make it out alive made me realise that it shouldn't matter, I no longer have feelings towards you. I shouldn't let it affect us, I just want my friends and not worry about the small things anymore"

"You know I am sorry about you finding out about me having sex with Claire through the rumour mill, I had hoped I could say something before you found out"

"It's fine, you were a slut before we dated. Why would I think it would change after we broke up?"

"Ahh and that's the Dri I've missed. The one who doesn't have a problem calling me a slut" he nudged me as he laid down beside me.

I had spent the rest of the afternoon before dinner in Jeremy's room catching up with him, I had kept from him everything about Nikolaus. I meant what I said about how I wanted us to be friends again I just didn't know how he would react.

I didn't join my friends for dinner, instead I went and joined dad and Ellie for dinner. I should have realised it would be a full house, Lissa, Christian, Rose and Dimitri were still here. I don't know when they were planning on flying back, maybe later tonight.

I stayed silent throughout dinner not wanting to participate in the conversation they were having. I knew that if I wasn't here they would be talking about what happened to me and trying to work out why everyone was working together and if my blood can do the things they said it could.

"Dri are you alright? You've barely eaten" I looked up from my plate at Ellie's voice

"Just not that hungry I guess, they were practically starving me. It's a big jump from that to this size meal"

"Please try and eat more. Did your friends come by and see you?"

"Yes they did, thank you for telling James I was back" I gave dad a small smile

I think everyone realised I wasn't in the mood for talking since they went back to the conversation they were having beforehand. I was pushing the food around my plate not really eating, I meant what I said. I wasn't that hungry and I believe it was because they were starving me and my body got used to barely any food, I just hoped when I started training again I would regain my appetite.

Ellie had given up on me eating and taken my plate off me and now I was sitting on the couch staring at the T.V while Rose and Dimitri were keeping an eye on me from the side, I didn't know where everyone else was.

"DRI!" I sat up just in time for both Matt and Nate to throw themselves at me, I hadn't had the chance to see my brothers yet since they've been in classes but seeing them now made me realise just how much I missed them.

"I missed you two so much" I hugged them both before moving over so they could join me on the couch.

"I missed you too Dri, I was scared you weren't going to come home" I looked at Nate, he was on the verge of tears. I couldn't believe he had to go through all of this but when I looked at Matt his eyes were narrowed, he was looking at my neck.

My hair was bugging me and I decided to put it up, everyone here knew I had been fed off by the Strigoi and Moroi but my brothers, I guess it had been kept from them. I watched as he stood up and went to leave the room.

"Matt wait" when he turned around he looked angry and it scared me. I had never seen my little brother this angry. He didn't say anything as he turned back around and left the room. "Nate stay here please" I kissed his head as I stood up and followed Matt, I found him in dads study with everyone else.

"Who did that to her?" Matt pointed at me as I walked in, everyone looked at me and it didn't take much for them to realise what he was on about.

"The people that were keeping her captive but they won't hurt her any longer"

"How do you know that?"

"Because I killed two of them Matt and the other is on 24 hour Guardian supervision with no visitors" Matt turned to look at me and all the anger slipped from his face as he walked over and hugged me. How is it that my 12 almost 13 year old brother was almost taller than me?

"You're going to have to keep your neck better covered Dri"

"I know, I didn't expect them to turn up and I'm sure the bruise will be pretty much gone by Monday and if it isn't I should be able to cover it with makeup"

"Does that mean you're getting two tattoos Dri?" Matt pulled away and I looked at him, he looked proud and I hated it.

"I've been trying to get out of it but technically I only get one. One of them was a Moroi, we were fighting over a gun and it went off, shooting him instead of me"

"DRI!" I turned and looked at dad

"He was going to work it out when I only got one tattoo and considering I said I killed two people"

"I won't tell Nate, I promise dad" dad ran a hand threw his hair

"If he finds out I won't be happy Matthew" Matt flinched at the sound of his full name, no matter how mad dad and Ellie got at Matt and Nate their full name was never said. It was only me who go it when I was in trouble.

"I promise dad, are you scared of getting the tattoo Dri. When are you getting it?" I let out a sigh as I let him drag me out of the office and back to the living room where I left Nate. I knew I would be getting asked lots of questions from them, the only thing Nate knew was that I was getting a tattoo for killing one Strigoi while I was held hostage.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! A reviewer mentioned that Nikolaus is coming across as a mystery and I'm sorry if anyone else is feeling that way. So if there is anything you want to know about Nikolaus then leave a review telling me and I will see what I can do.**

**Brooke**** thank you reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved the bit where they let their guards down. They do stop snapping at each other eventually, they just have to get past their issues.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. No that's fine at least you still reviewed. Yes there were a lot of people there mainly because I figured a lot of people would have to hear her side of the story. You will find out if Dri gets her tattoo in the next chapter but yes it is decent reason to not get her tattoo. I figured Rose was the best person to talk to Dri about what she had gone through, I know poor Mason and Eddie really wasn't the same again. I'm glad you liked the moment with Nikolaus, no one had seen them don't worry. I actually went back on the chapters to make sure it was Dri that had always kissed him, I liked the little realisation she had at that point. Yes that was the reason behind the present but he couldn't get the same one so he got one similar while adding her birth stone. No unfortunately Dri won't give him a belated present, she's afraid of how he will react because he did lose his brother on his birthday.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you're enjoying the chapter, my updates come when I have the time available for them but I do promise to update at least once a week.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much, he is only taking them shopping in hopes of conceiving Dri to get her chapter. Nikolaus doesn't want her to miss out on it and then regret it down the line. I'm glad you liked the molnija marks conversation, I'm actually curious myself as to why they get the tattoos to represent their kills but I guess we will never know. You would have found out in the next chapter and the last chapter had a hint since she mentioned her birth stone was an opal but it is currently in October.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I figured Rose should be the one to talk to Dri about it since she went through something similar, I know I miss Mason as well. I'm curious to see how different the story would have been if Mason didn't die. I'm glad you think Nikolaus is the perfect boyfriend but I'm not trying to put him across that way, I'm just trying to make him perfect for Dri. I'm sorry I didn't realise Nikolaus was still coming across that way, is there anything in particular that you want to know? I may pop it into a later chapter, I know once Dri graduates I plan of having some of his family turn up.**

**Moulinness**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad it makes you happy whenever they kiss, all I'm sorry for that but I promise it does stop eventually. They're just in an awkward place since they can't be open about their relationship but there is something coming up that changes everything.**


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter 68**

Adrianna POV

I stayed in my dorm ignoring all the attempts my friends had trying to convince me to leave the room, none of them knew that today I was scheduled to get my Molnija marks. Too be honest I had no idea the extent of what my friends knew and it bothered me, I know I gave Jeremy the basic run down of what happened but that was only because he had been left out of the loop and I wanted him back as a friend so that involved answering his questions. Whereas the rest of my friends I had no idea but at least they weren't asking questions.

"Dri please open the door" I sat up and looked at the door at the sound of Nikolaus' voice, I felt bad for how I was treating him. I had been taking out my hurt and anger on him, snapping at him one too many times but he hadn't said anything or even left me alone.

"I could just as easily go downstairs and ask the matron for the key"

"Fine" I growled in response not even knowing if he heard me but I got off my bed and went to open the door.

"Thank you" I watched as his eyes wandered up and down my body and I smirked at him. "If I knew what you were wearing I wouldn't have come here"

"How dare you say such comments" I pretended to be shocked and we both knew why, truth was I didn't think anything of what I was wearing when I answered the door. I was still in the clothes I slept in, short shorts and singlet.

As soon as the door was shut he grinned at me. "I've seen you in less" it caused me to frown at him

"What are you doing here?" I walked over and took a seat on my bed

"Came to tell you Petrov agreed to the shopping trip, I didn't even have to convince her"

"Which means, you're also here to make sure I go and get my tattoo"

"I am, have you told Emily and Belle about it"

"I have, Belle said she's got to work on an assignment but I have a feeling she will still come and then convince Lucas and Jeremy to spend the weekend helping her on it"

"Funny you managed to say Jeremy's name without scrunching your face up"

"Being held hostage and not knowing if you're going to live or die really makes you reconsider the things in your life. I'm over Jeremy I couldn't keep holding what he did against him, I want us to be friends again"

"Should I be worried?" I couldn't help it, I laughed at him and he looked so hurt. I got up and walked over to where he was leaning against my desk.

"You being jealous is adorable" I reached up and stroked his cheek

"You had been here three years and not one boyfriend, and then all of a sudden I find out you're dating Jeremy. You didn't think it was adorable when I beat you up" I frowned at him and all he did was softly place his lips on my forehead

"Just because I only had one boyfriend doesn't mean I was a saint, I did attend the parties" this time he frowned

"That's it, the next time I hear about one of your parties I'm going to bust it up right away"

"Next time?"

"Dri we always know when you have parties. We know it's a part of being a teenage, we just keep an eye on it and always break it up when it's getting late. Haven't you noticed that they usually get broken up around the same time?" I stared at him, I couldn't believe this was true. We honestly thought we got away with sneaking out, I guess the dorm matrons were better at their job then we thought

"The dorm matrons are dhampirs for a reason, most of them have children at the school and technically they're still guarding just slightly different"

"Guess I never realised" I shrugged at him

"Please shower, get dressed and meet me down stairs. I'm meant to take you to one of the guardian lounges for your tattoo" he placed a hand on my cheek and softly kissed me when he pulled away I smiled at him. "What?"

"I like this side of you, it's sweet and caring"

"It's only because I know no one will come in here and interrupt us, please meet me downstairs. Don't make me come up here and drag there myself, oh and don't forget to wear your hair up" he smirked at me and I couldn't help but laugh at him as he left my room, it wouldn't be the first time he had to drag me somewhere.

I was standing in the admin building with Emily waiting to see if Belle would turn up, Nikolaus was in Alberta's office doubling checking plans and times and what not.

"Do you think Belle will turn up?" I turned and looked at Emily, she had her phone out trying to ring Belle. I still hadn't received a new phone, I figured it was on my list of things to do on this shopping trip.

"I do, her face was lit up like a bonfire when I mentioned the shopping trip. Her assignment won't stop her"

"I guess, I suppose that and the fact we have a dance coming up"

"Why haven't I heard anything about this?"

"It was announced while you were gone, it's not till December though" it was still October so there was over a month until the dance

"So in other words we get to drag Nikolaus around to all the dress shops?" I heard a groan behind me and I turned to find Nikolaus standing with Belle beside him, she had a huge grin on her face.

"Why did you have to tell her about the dance?"

"Don't be such a sook Nikolaus, I have a feeling even if I didn't know about the dance Belle would have convinced us to go in there"

"That is true"

"Come on it's time to go" Emily and Belle rushed ahead and I stay back with Nikolaus

"Can I drive?"

"No" he said with such a straight face and no delay in thinking about it that made me wonder if he had actually thought about the possibility of me asking this question.

"You knew I would ask it"

"I did"

"I'm allowed to drive and you know it"

"Not going to let you though" I let out a sigh, it was then that I realised how itchy the back of my neck was and my head twitched. "Don't scratch it, just ignore it"

"Easy for you to say" I frowned at him but rushed ahead to fall in step with Belle and Emily.

Our shopping trip was almost over, I had been able to organise a phone but I wasn't able to use it until we were back at the academy and I could charge it. We had also been into a numerous number of shops and I believe Nikolaus was about to snap due to all the shopping we had done. Emily had even made a few jokes about how we had such a strong, young, handsome man around to carry our bags, Belle and I couldn't help but laugh but I was worried if Emily was hinting at something.

The last shop we were sold formal wear and it allowed us to find a dress for the dance, Belle had tried who knows how many dresses while Emily had tried on a couple and I hadn't tried on anything. I hadn't found anything that jumped out at me to try on.

"Why so fussy?"

"I've got to find something to shock you better than the red one did" I slightly turned my head to give Nikolaus a sly smile but he shook his head. We both knew that Emily and Belle were still in the change rooms.

"I think you should stay away from the shock factor, it is a school function"

"I know"

"There you are, I've found something come on" I turned and saw Emily just as she reached out to grab my arm and pull me with her away from Nikolaus.

"How come you said that to him?"

"What me wanting to shock him with a dress?"

"Yeah I didn't know you both made jokes about having sex"

"I'll most likely get a lecture about it later" I shrugged hoping she would drop it, I knew I wouldn't get a lecture. He would just worry about what Emily jumped too.

"Alright now I've found the perfect dress, it's red but I know how good red looks on you because of your skin colour"

"The last time you showed me a red dress it led to me having sex with Nikolaus"

"I know but I promise it's not as short or tight, it actually leaves everything to the imagination. Please try it on, Belle did but it clashed against her skin tone" I let out a sigh but followed Emily into the change rooms where Belle was bouncing on her feet.

The store had a separate section for the change rooms meaning that Nikolaus had to wait out in the store for us and Belle had to have someone with her in the change rooms, I'm surprised he didn't say anything when Emily grabbed me or maybe he was too shocked over what she could have heard.

"Right try the dress on" Emily pushed me into the change room and that was when I saw the dress.

It was the same shade as the other red dress and it was strapless, I didn't believe for a second that Belle tried this on. I loved the girl but she didn't have the boobs for a strapless dress and she knew it, I had heard her regularly complain that she wished her boobs were like mine and Emily's so she could wear these types of dresses.

Once the dress was on I looked in the mirror, it didn't exactly leave much to the imagination. It was tight fitting showing off the curves I had and it flared out from my knees but it also had a slit up the side revealing my leg.

I walked out to show Emily and Belle and they were both smiling

"You both seriously think this is appropriate for a school event?"

"Nope but when have you ever followed the dress code rules"

"Too bad I don't like the dress" I shrugged, it was true. I didn't like the cut of the dress, floor length dress were never really my thing. Stefan and a couple of the other male novices always made comments on how great my legs were, so as a result I always wore dresses that showed them off.

"Find try this one on then" Emily picked up another red dress and looking at it I knew it was more me, it was strapless like the other one but shorter. There were gemstones just under the bust and it flared out from there and I assumed it would stop mid-thigh, showing off my legs.

"Thank you" I grabbed the dress with a smile and walked back into the changes room to switch dresses.

When I went back out both Emily and Belle were speechless this time, I hadn't even looked in the mirror before coming out. I walked over to the mirrors that were set up so you could see the dress from different angles at once, the dress looked amazing on and Emily was right. Red looked amazing against my skin tone.

"That dress looks amazing on you Dri" Emily came up and stood beside me on the platform.

"Thanks, I love it and thank you for finding it"

"It isn't a problem, I just wonder if it will have the same affect on Nikolaus as the last red dress" she gave me a wink

"What are you getting at Em?"

"I know you have feelings for him and sometimes I wonder if he has feelings for you. I know Stefan and Jeremy always made jokes at your expense but I saw the same things those two did and I did always wonder if he felt something towards you. I'm just trying to help you get somewhere with him"

"You don't care that he's a teacher?"

"You two have never exactly had the typical teacher student relationship, it's more of a friendship and who cares to be honest. Look at Rose and Dimitri, he was her teacher" she shrugged as we both turned around and looked at Belle, she was holding up two dresses.

"Which one?" one was this deep emerald green colour while the other was lilac but had the same cut and style, in fact it was a similar cut to mine but the green had a black lace pattern on it while the lilac had a silver lace pattern but hers had straps.

"Go the lilac, I think the emerald will wash you out"

"I agree with Emily"

"Thanks, now Emily is wearing the bright blue one"

"Oh I want to see it" Emily walked over and picked up a bright blue dress. Both her and Belle walked into the change rooms and got changed.

When they came out I knew I was right about Belle's dress, the lilac colour didn't wash her out but Emily's dress. It looked incredible on her, it had straps but had a low cut on the back and had a small amount of gemstones on the top part of the dress making sparkle in the light. It was longer than mine and Belle's coming down past her knees but it stopped at mid-calf and it made up for it by have a slit up the side revealing her leg.

"They both look perfect" They both smiled at me and we all walked over and stood in front of the mirror together

"I'm excited, now all we have to do is find dates" Belle grinned and I stared at her in disbelief, I didn't want a date and only James knew that. Maybe I could convince James to be my date and hoped he would understand.

"Come on we should get changed and head out to pay for these before Nikolaus comes in demanding to go home"

"Fine, let's head out. I think I've pretty much blown my allowance this month anyway" Belle frowned but I knew Emily was struggling even more. Belle might not be a royal but her family was more well off then most non royals whereas Emily's mum didn't have much money. I noticed Emily go silent after Belle mentioned the money and I knew then she was wondering if she could actually afford the dress.

We left the change room and we found Nikolaus leaning against the wall opposite the entry, I flashed him a smile as I grabbed Emily's dress and headed towards the counter to pay. I took the opportunity of Belle being distracted by some of the jewellery as a chance to pay for her dress.

"You didn't have to do that Dri"

"I saw the look on your face when Belle said she was worried about money, it was then you realised that maybe you couldn't afford it either"

"I could have had mum send some dresses from home or even asked Ellie to send some of yours" Emily was right, we were both the same size and it worked as a benefit. We usually raided each other's wardrobes.

"It's fine, don't stress. Say thank you and take the dress" I held out her dress and smiled at her

"Thank you Dri, you're the best" she grabbed it and then gave me a hug before walking over to where Belle was still staring at the jewellery.

"That was nice of you" Nikolaus spoke once Emily was gone, I wondered when he came up behind me.

"Surely you know better than I do how bad a Guardians pay can be, she looked worried and I didn't like it. I couldn't let her not get the dress, it looked so good on her and it made her happy"

"Speaking of dresses, what does your look like?" I turned around and saw a hint of a smile on his face.

"Oh you will have to wait and see about that" I gave him a wink before leaving him standing there shocked and headed over to Belle and Emily reminding them it was almost time to leave.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you reviewing, it means a lot to me. I like knowing that my frequent updating makes you happy.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Your welcome, normally I put dates or even months on each chapters of my stories but this one was so hard, I have no idea how long their school years are so I've just made guesses and barely made any references to dates just months here and there. I always planned for her and Jeremy to become friends again, I love writing scenes between the two of them.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I have taken your ideas into consideration and I'm working it around what I've already written. Dri's friends finding about her and Nikolaus would make things interesting wouldn't it, so wait and see what happens. I thought the Ivashkov family scene would be cute so I'm glad you enjoyed it.**


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter 69**

Adrianna POV

The last few weeks or so had been hard, even though everything had fallen into a somewhat normal pattern after the shopping trip I took with Emily and Belle. When my training sessions with Nikolaus started up again after that weekend we avoided sparring, we did condition training or I would go against the practice dummies or a punching bag.

It wasn't until two weeks after I had returned that we finally sparred and it didn't end well.

I walked into the gym and was shocked to find no training dummies, the last few sessions I had turned up and they were always there.

"No dummies?"

"No I thought we should spar today"

"Oh okay…"

"Dri are you going to be alright with that?"

"Yeah I'll be fine" I dropped my stuff on the floor before heading over to the mats.

It started out alright, Nikolaus was mostly on the defensive allowing me to throw punches and kicks at him. It wasn't until he started throwing punches at me that I panicked, it was like I was being taken back to when I was in the house and trying to fight them off to prevent them from feeding off me.

But it was when I had somehow ended up pinned to the ground that I really lost it.

"Please stop, please don't feed off me. Just let me leave, I want to go home" I was thrashing around on the floor trying to get away.

"Shh, Dri it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you" I had forgotten I was sparing against Nikolaus but his voice brought me back. I looked up at him and he was so worried about me, he reached out and stoked my cheek.

"I'm sorry, I panicked"

"It's fine, you'll get there again Dri" he softly placed his lips against my forehead before getting off me and holding a hand out for me to grab.

Things had even returned to what could be considered normal between Nikolaus and I, there were no more stolen kisses between us but there were more flirty comments between us that wasn't normal. I hated it but I knew it was for the best, we had to convince everyone else and ourselves that nothing was happening. I had to keep reminding myself that he was my teacher and nothing should happen between us but it didn't change the fact that I still loved him and it hurt that nothing could happen.

The only difference now was that we had begun partying every weekend again. Belle joined us every second weekend, while Carter had only joined us one weekend. His words were 'I may as well since I've finished my homework', we all laughed at him but agreed to let him come anyway. But Emily, Stefan, James, Jeremy and I were at parties every weekend.

The worst one was last weekend, the party had been broken up and I was that drunk that Nikolaus had to carry me back to my dorm.

"Why do you keep doing this to yourself?" he spoke as he carried me. He had been there to break up every party and see just how drunk I was getting

"It helps keep the nightmares away" I mumbled a reply as I pressed my face into him, breathing in the intoxicating smell that he always has.

He didn't say anything as he carried me the rest of the way, the only time he put me down was when he reached my door. He needed his hands to unlock the door, when it was opened he wrapped an arm around my waist and led me in before allowing me to collapse on the bed. He walked over to my desk and picked up my water bottle before handing it to me.

"Drink it all before you go to sleep to Dri, it'll help you feel better in the morning"

"Please don't leave"

"I'm sorry Dri but I can't stay, you know this. Just get some sleep and I will see you tomorrow at meals" I frowned at him as I curled up hugging my water bottle, he knelt down beside my bed.

"Thought you can't stay"

"I can't and seeing you like this breaks my heart Dri, please try and get some sleep" he stroked my head before kissing my forehead

I must have fallen asleep as soon as he kissed my forehead, I don't remember him leaving my room but I remember him bugging me about what I said first thing Monday morning during our session. I was drunk and stupid enough to mention the nightmares.

Ever since I got back from being held captive I had been having nightmares on and off about what happened. Drinking alcohol on the weekend helped keep them away, I knew I shouldn't be using alcohol to self-medicate but I couldn't handle the nightmares anymore.

I was sitting on a chair in my dorm while Belle did my make-up, today was the day of the dance and we all agreed to get ready together. Even Sarah and Amelia were in here as well, normally they kept to themselves but they were more than happy to accept my offer and they got along with Belle just fine.

"That will be the boys" Emily jumped up at the sound of the knock on my door while Belle put on the finishing touches before pushing me to get dressed.

"Wait, Dri still has to put her dress on. They can wait a minute or two" Belle spoke loudly letting the boys know what was going on.

Once I was dressed Emily opened the door letting the boys in, I had to admit they all looked good dressed up like this. We had these dances every year and every year I was shocked by how well these boys could clean up.

"You look beautiful Dri" I smiled at Jeremy as he kissed my cheek.

I couldn't get James to agree to be my date, I was too late. He had already asked Emily and Stefan had asked Belle, I thought about asking Carter but Emily said he had asked Sarah while Lucas had asked Amelia. I was even considering asking Daniel or Damien but Belle said they had asked two of the Moroi girls in the year below us. I was running out of boys and when Jeremy asked me I said yes, only after reminding him it would be just as friends.

"Remember, we're just friends"

"I know but you still look beautiful"

I looked over at where James and Emily were standing, James knew exactly why I was hesitant about this and Emily believed I was worried about going with Jeremy in case Nikolaus thought we were back together but in fact I was worried about how Nikolaus was going to react when he saw the two of us together.

"Come on we should head over" Belle spoke getting everyone's attention, no one disagreed with her and we all left my room heading downstairs.

Snow hadn't started to fall yet but it was incredibly cold and I was shivering, Jeremy noticed this and wrapped an arm around me. I looked up at him and gave him a smile, I was happy that I had his friendship back. We weren't anywhere near as close as what we were beforehand but we were working on it.

At some point we had slowed down since I was struggling to walk across the grass in heels, I rarely wore heels and it showed even when I wore them to parties they were off within the hour. I was more confident on concrete than I was on grass, so we entered the hall behind the rest of my friends and I was laughing at something Jeremy had said. Nikolaus was who I spotted first, I always spotted him first when I entered a room and I knew one day it was going backfire and get us in trouble.

I recognised the expression on his face, it was jealously and I hadn't seen it since the morning of when I got my tattoo. Thinking of my tattoo my hand instinctively went to the back of my neck but I dropped it when I remembered that Emily would throw a fit if I messed my hair up.

As I walked past Nikolaus he grabbed my arm to stop me.

"It's alright I'll catch up Jer" I gave him a smile, Jeremy stopped for a second before leaving to catch up with the rest of our friends.

"I thought I told you stay away from the shock factor dresses" he was trying so hard to fight a smile but it was when I caught his eyes wander up and down my body that I knew the dress had done what Emily wanted it too.

"But it's so pretty" I smiled at him

"Right and is there any particular reason Jeremy is your date?"

"Hoping to make you jealous" I shrugged and he frowned at me before looking around us, the music was loud and we were too quiet for anyone to hear us.

"Just go back to your friends Dri" I frowned at hearing the cold voice and seeing the Guardian Mask on his face.

As I turned and headed back to my friends, I heard my phone beep. I pulled it out of my purse and saw there was a message from Nikolaus.

_You look beautiful as always xx_

_If you're lucky you can take it off later xx_

_I've already taken one red dress off, why would I need another? Have fun with your friends xx_

I smiled before placing my phone back in my bag. I didn't even realise that he had gotten a hold of my number until the first message came through, I hadn't even added his number to my phone. After a while I was able to recognise the number and I knew I had to delete the messages afterwards but I was enjoying this one bit of a normal life we had between us, we hadn't had any stolen kisses since me coming back to the academy due to the fact that as soon as I was pinned to the floor in our sessions he would get straight up off me since he was afraid I would either freak out or he was worried about what it was going to lead to. I did notice him watching me more often though, it made me wonder how often he did previously watch me and I was completely oblivious to it.

"What did Anastas want Dri?"

"Just to remind that training was still on for tomorrow"

"That guy works you too hard"

"I don't mind, it's giving me the advantage so I can kick all your asses at the end of year trials" I grinned at my novice friends and they shook their heads at me

"Hey I have a question" everyone turned and looked at Jeremy

"How come Stefan has stopped making jokes about Dri and Anastas?" I noticed Emily and Stefan both look my way. If Sarah and Amelia were anyone else they wouldn't understand but before everything that happened Stefan would make jokes in our novice classes which Sarah and Amelia were a part of last year

"The jokes stopped when we started dating Jeremy and I suppose they didn't really pick up again. What's the big deal?"

"Nothing I just thought it was weird that he doesn't pick on you as much anymore"

"I guess after everything that's happened I deserved a break" I shrugged before walking over to Emily and grabbing her to drag her away to dance.

Truth was Stefan did pick on me about Nikolaus, same with James but it was only when it was just the four of us since it was only those two and Emily that knew what happened. Jeremy had noticed that James had quickly slid into his spot in the group but there was nothing he could do, he knew he ruined it and it was his fault.

The dance was almost finished and I was grateful, as much as I enjoyed spending this time with my friends we were all excited for the party that was being thrown. Someone and I had no idea who thought it would be a good idea to try partying out in the cabins again, they also thought us sneaking off there before we even got to our dorms would make it easier to not get the party broken up by the Guardians. I had a feeling it would anyway.

"So I see the blood whore has gone back to her cheating boyfriend" I turned around at the sound of Lindsay's voice.

She had been bugging me more and more ever since I got back, classes that we shared almost always involved us sending remarks back and forth and during our novice classes, our comments usually always turned into a physical fight.

"You're just jealous because I have a date and you don't"

"I do have a date"

"Oh yeah, who?"

"Jason"

"Heard he asked Kara"

"Damon"

"Julie"

"Damien"

"He asked Jess and Daniel asked Julia" I turned and smiled at Belle, I never did find out those girls names but glad she was here

"Trevor"

"Mia" I could tell she was getting angry, I knew she didn't have a date. None of the other male novices actually liked her but they all put up with her, even Clarke and Toby who couldn't stand me liked me more than her.

"Toby"

"I'm sorry what did you just say?" oh god this was perfect, Toby and his girlfriend had just walked past in time to hear his own name. This caused me and my friends to laugh at her

"She's trying to convince us she has a date" Toby's girlfriend, who's name I can never remember all I know is she is younger than us walked up to Lindsay and laid a punch in her face before Toby pulled her away.

"You're just a bitch Adrianna"

"Actually I thought I was a slut, that's your favourite come back. When did it change to bitch?"

"You seriously want to do this now?" she walked up to me so she was right in my face

"I win every single time and you know it, don't start something you know you're going to lose" I smirked at her.

I knew her well enough to know that when she took a step back it wasn't to back off, it was to throw a punch at me. As soon as the punch came my way I grabbed her wrist and spun her around to pin her arm behind her back.

"I suggest you take this as a loss and leave, you and I both know you _always_ come off second best against me. I sure as hell don't want to spend the rest of the night on supervision" I pushed her away and she landed on the floor. She got up and gave me a glare

"There was a time when I could have taken you, it's not fair that you and your other boyfriend spend so much time training"

"Oh and when was that because I recall my first day here when I was able to punch you directly in the face"

"Funny how you don't deny the fact about your other boyfriend" my stomach sank at that and the look on her face just added it too, I was honestly worried about what she did know

"And you have no idea what you're on about, leave before I punch you in the face again"

"I know you won't do it, you and all your friends have turned into the party and drug animals again and you want to be at the party"

"Just leave, even if I don't punch you there are other people here that would" I saw her look behind me at my friends, I didn't have to look back at them to know they had my back.

Over the years Lindsay pushed every single one of us novices away in hopes of keeping her royal Moroi friends but what she didn't realise was that her novice training was slipping and slipping to the bottom fast. When we graduated she wouldn't have any of us there to help her, she would be stuck behind a desk due to her inability to protect anyone.

Lindsay stepped forward getting in my face again. "You won't even be at the party, I think you'll most likely be with your boyfriend"

I was getting sick and tired of making comments about a boyfriend, I had no idea what she was on about. Yes I loved Nikolaus and I knew he loved me back but that didn't mean we had that conversation, there was nothing except stolen glances here and there or text messages that were rare.

"Get the fuck out of my face Lindsay" I growled at her but she didn't move.

Instead I stepped back from her and turned around walking to join my friends except I didn't. I just kept walking wanting to get away from her, I wanted to know why she thought I had a boyfriend. I kept walking until I was outside, I hoped fresh air would calm me down.

"Are you alright?" I heard James' voice and shrugged and soon he stepped in beside me

"Tell me you saw something in her, does she actually know?"

"No she doesn't or if she does I couldn't see it. I think she's just over heard too many jokes from Jeremy and Stefan about the two of you"

"I hope she's just trying to unnerve me"

"Even if she did go to the teachers there is no proof" I looked over at him. "Right?"

I let out a sigh. "You're our proof. I know I delete the messages, I'm assuming he does. Aside from that if they question my family only Rose and Dimitri know and I think they're trying to protect me from what they went through"

"Dri I'm not going to tell them anything that will hurt you, Lissa and Adrian can only see memories if I choose to show them. They haven't mastered this skill yet"

"So for now we're safe" I turned and looked at him

"Yes...you need to leave" I raised an eyebrow at him but turned around and saw Nikolaus standing behind us. He must have seen what happened and wanted to check on me

"Why?"

"Please just do it, I'll see you tomorrow" I knew he was conflicted, he wanted to make sure I was alright but he knew there was also a reason for sending him away.

"He really does care about you Dri" James spoke once Nikolaus had left

"I know and I hate this situation we're in" I pulled out my phone and sent a message to the number I remembered long ago.

_Lindsay is convinced that there is something going on between us, you coming to comfort me is the last thing we need_

_Should I be worried?_

_No, James said from what he can see, she doesn't know anything_

A reply came through but I didn't read it, I just put my phone away and rested my head against James' shoulder.

"It'll be alright, you have to know that"

"I'm going back inside" I pulled away from James and headed back inside hoping that Lindsay will keep away from me.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Brooke**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes I did in the end make Dri get her tattoo, she would have regretted it if she didn't get it. I hope you enjoyed Nikolaus' reaction to the dress**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes there is always unasked questions between James and Dri when it comes to Nikolaus for various reasons. Yes I did love that little moment between Dri and Nikolaus about him being worried about Jeremy and you are right, there is no competition. I love putting in his sweet and caring side but it's rare, he's worried someone is going to walk in and catch the two of them. I agree Dri would have regretted not getting the tattoo. I'm glad think Emily is a cutie for trying to get something to happen again. As you can see Dri and James didn't go together and her name was Millie, she won't be coming back into the story until later since they are at different schools. As for Dri paying for Emily's dress I didn't even have the allowance from Adrian in my mind for Dri, it was more the money she inherited from her mum and grandparents.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked the chapter so much as always.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked the chapter and that you were able to find where you were upto.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. No I don't normally like dresses either but I search google high and low for nice ones. I can't actually show you this once since I had put two different pictures together for it.**


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter 70**

Adrianna POV

The rest of the dance went by fine, it turned out that one of the Guardians had seen Lindsay try and punch me and taken her out of there. It was a relief for me but it did make me wonder what she would tell them to try and get out whatever punishment was coming her way.

"Come on Dri it's time for the party" I looked up at Stefan and grinned. I got up from the table and followed him outside.

Over the past 30 minutes small groups had been sneaking out of the dance and heading off towards the edge of the grounds where the cabins were to either set up the party or start partying. By the time I reached it with my friends it was in full swing and it only took a few seconds for someone to hand me a drink which I happily took.

To begin with I was cold but as soon as the alcohol began spreading through me I either warmed up or began ignoring the cold.

The cabin being out this far allowed us to have our music louder than usual, at some point I had ditched my shoes and I was dancing with Emily and Belle near a fire while the boys were off doing shots.

"I want shots" Emily yelled over the music and Belle shook her head, before leaving us and going off towards her other friends while Emily dragged me towards where the boys were doing shots.

"Where did someone get tequila? I swear I've been drinking beer"

"Nope, I think only the first one was beer Dri. There's a bit of everything here, it depends on who you get the drink from" Stefan shrugged before handing me a shot, I always hated tequila shots but I took it anyway.

I lost track of the time, I didn't know how long we had been out here but the time passed with us dancing and doing shots. At some point I lost Emily and Stefan, they had gone off with people and were making out with them somewhere. I was also too afraid to actually go into the cabin because I knew people would be in there having sex. I had found James sitting in front of the now extinguished fire, I guess the fire users gave up on the fire.

"You know I actually enjoy the sun but my body doesn't" he was looking up at the sky enjoying the human morning sun

"I love the sun, why do you think I sneak out so much" I tried to sit down beside him gracefully but instead I just fell and landed beside him causing him to laugh at me

"Not funny"

"It is, you're drunk" I nudged him but he fell over causing me to laugh at him this time

"You're drunk"

"I think we're both drunk, do you know where Emily and Stefan are?"

"Most likely off making out with someone, funny if things were different that would be me as well"

"Don't be so depressing Dri and answer your phone" I hadn't even realised it was going off and I pulled it out and stared at the caller ID

"Oh I'm so not answering that" James grabbed the phone and hit answer

"Hello...no I'm sorry she's incapacitated right now...nope she's alive, just incredibly drunk" I burst out laughing as soon as James hung up on the phone. I couldn't believe he said all of that to Nikolaus

"He is going to lose it but I guess it means the Guardians had finally worked out we weren't in our rooms"

"Guess so, here a message came through" he threw the phone at me and I missed it causing it to fall to the ground. I frowned at him and picked it up

_Dri please tell me where you are, we know you are all missing_

_Nope, it's called hide and seek for a reason._ That's what I wanted to say except it didn't quite come out that way.

_You're drunk again_

_You got it dude_

I turned my phone off and turned back to James but he was gone. I stood up and began looking for my friends, I had no idea where they went I had lost track of them as the night went on. I began looking for my friends but instead of finding them I ended up noticing that everyone was quickly trying to escape the area, maybe the Guardians finally found out. I decided it would be best to get out now before I got caught as well.

I was almost back at the dorms when I felt the nauseas feeling I always got from drinking appear and I needed to sit and get some air before I was trapped back in my room with the shitty window that didn't open enough. I didn't know how long I was laying there on the ground when I heard footsteps behind me.

"You're ruining your dress" I heard Nikolaus' voice and I shrugged, chances are my dress was already ruined or at least dirty.

"You found me" I sat up and grinned at him but instead he held out his hands to help me up. I frowned at him but knew I had no option but to stand up so I took the help.

"Dri this isn't time for your jokes, where was your party?"

"The cabin..." times like these I wish I could lie to him

"THE CABIN! After last year when we busted up your party and everything else this year you willingly went to a party out there again?" I shrugged at him not happy with him cutting me off

"I'm going inside" I walked past him but he grabbed my wrist to stop me and I stumbled, he instinctively let go of my wrist and grabbed my waist to help me stand up straight

"Dri what if you were taken again? I get why you've been drinking but usually the parties are closer on the grounds and not out by the wards"

"I would have been fine" I tried to pull away from him but he tightened his grip

"Dri, you were all drunk. How would a group of drunken novices be able to take on a group of humans and Guardians, especially if the humans had the increased speed and strength they had when they took you. If somehow the wards were damaged and Strigoi could get in you know as well as I do that you would all be dead"

"I don't know but nothing happened, we were all fine. Let me go to bed" I snapped at him

"Fine, I'll deal with you in the morning. Get inside now!" he snapped back at me, his hands dropped from my waist and we both stood there standing our ground not moving. "If you don't go in on your own, I will pick you up and throw you over my shoulder"

I narrowed my eyes at him before turning around but I did it too fast and it caused everything to spin. I put my head in my hands as I tried to regain my balance.

"Are you alright?" all the anger was gone from his voice, I shook my head at him. "Come on let me help you"

"No I'm fine" I pulled away when I felt his hand on me but the dizziness got worse. This was why I hated tequila shots, they always affected me later. I could have five shots one after the other and feel fine until later when they decided to kick in.

Nikolaus ignored my protests and picked me up but he didn't throw me over his shoulder like he threatened instead he had me close to his chest and I rested my head against him.

"Thank you" I mumbled before I fell asleep against him

My alarm woke me up in the morning, I didn't even remember setting it. I turned it off and looked at the time. It was way past the time of my training session with Nikolaus, panicking I picked up my phone thinking I would have all these missed calls and messages from him demanding to know where I was but I only saw I had one message.

_Don't panic, I set your alarm so you would wake up. Our session starts in 30 minutes, I'll see you in the gym and I don't care if you're hung over._

I groaned lying back on my bed, I knew I was going to be in trouble for last night. I got up and walked over to my draws to pull out some training gear when I realised I wasn't wearing the same red dress I was in last night, I was in shorts and a t shirt. That asshole took off my dress and put me in these clothes.

When I made it to the gym I surprised Nikolaus and I knew why, I still had 10 minutes until I had to be here.

"I actually expected you to be late not early"

"But yet your here anyway and did you change my clothes?"

"I did"

"What makes you think you can undress me and put me into something else?"

"Did you not say last night that if I was lucky I could take you out of the dress?" he smirked at me

"Not funny, you undressed me!"

"Are you seriously telling me you would have been fine I put you in your bed still in that dress?"

"No it would have bugged me all night but it's not the point"

"Dri I thought you would have been more comfortable out of your dress"

"It's not right" I snapped at him

"Fine, if you're going to be like that. Follow me" I groaned but followed him outside, I seriously wondered what my punishment was. I wouldn't get away with being at a party like I have been, he was really angry last night about me being at a party at one of the cabins.

I kept following him all the way to the building that housed the class rooms, I was confused about why we were here. Even when we did theory work, we stayed in the gym and did it on the floor. We kept walking all the way towards the doors leading to the stairs, he stopped and leaned against the wall.

"What's my punishment?"

"The stairs" he pointed to them

"How many times?"

"Until I say stop"

"But I'm hung over"

"And I don't care"

"Yes you do, otherwise you wouldn't have changed the time for our session or set my alarm"

"Dri this is your punishment for being caught after curfew, just like the rest of your friends will be getting punished at some point today"

"Fine all of them or just the first set?"

"Up to you"

I didn't say anything else but turned around began running up and down the stairs, I only did the first set knowing that in long run it would easier going up and down only the first set instead of having to turn corners and going up more stairs.

The longer I kept going the worse my nausea got, I didn't know if it was because I was hung over or if it was the stairs. Nikolaus had never made me run up and down the stairs like this before. At one point I had to stop to collect my breath otherwise I was going to throw up. I was standing there in the middle of the steps with my hands on my knees when Nikolaus walked up to me.

"Are you alright?"

"No, I feel like I'm going to throw up. Can I stop?"

"Yeah the session is almost finished, take a seat" I took a seat on the steps rested my legs out

"How's your ankle?" he picked up my leg and began moving my ankle around to test it. A couple of weeks' back I had rolled it but acted like it was nothing and it got worse.

"Fine, are you still mad at me?" I looked over at him and he placed my feet in his lap.

"I was never mad Dri, you did something reckless last night. What if something happened?"

"I know, we shouldn't have partied out there but I don't even know who organised it. I was just told about it"

"Alright what about the fact that you need to stop drinking so much?"

"I can't believe I stupidly told you about those nightmares last weekend"

"Dri maybe you should see a psychologist like Petrov recommended, maybe it will help get rid of the nightmares"

"And if it doesn't?"

"You won't know unless you try, even before Michael turned up I tried to get you to talk to someone"

"And I spoke to my friends and I felt better but it's not working this time, you, James, Emily and Stefan all know about my nightmares because you are the only ones that know the extent of what happened"

"Then talk to someone else, I worry about you Dri"

"I don't want to talk to a psychologist though"

"They can help though"

"How do you know?"

"My mum made me see one after my brother was killed"

"How much would I have to tell them?"

"You won't have to tell them about us or what happened in Melbourne if that's what you're worried about"

"So just what happened when I was held hostage and then everything with Michael and in turn Jason and most likely everything that happened before Adrian found me"

"Most likely"

"What if it doesn't work though, what if the nightmares don't go away" he sat up and leaned over to me and cupped my face.

"Then we will worry about that but for now please see the psychologist and get the help, please Dri" I nodded at him and he dropped his hands from my face, I instantly missed the heat that was coming from his hands.

He stood up and held his hand out for me to grab, I grabbed it and he pulled me up. "Let me guess, we're going now?"

"Better now before you change your mind" I nodded at him and let him guide me to the admin building with the psychologist was housed.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes don't worry Dri and Nikolaus will be safe, Lindsay won't destroy their relationship. The only reason she was saying that stuff was to try and bait Dri into starting a fight so she wouldn't be at the party. Adrian doesn't find out for a while, I don't plan on him finding out the truth about the relationship until after Dri's graduation because it links in with what else is happening at the same time. Yes Nikolaus does have a nickname, it will come out in two chapters along with some information about his family. At this point it is just a family name, I haven't decided if Dri will be allowed to use it.**

**Brooke**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked the text messages, I struggled with that bit trying to come up with names I hadn't already used in the story for whatever reason but don't stress it does not get out about Dri and Nikolaus at this point in time.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are still enjoying my story.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes even though there may be points where Nikolaus seems to have a hard exterior that Dri has gotten through he can be really sweet and caring. I'm glad you loved the reaction to the dress, the jealously Nikolaus has over Jeremy may not be needed but it is a part of the story it will pop in various chapters. Yes them noticing each other will backfire one day, remember it's also how Dimitri noticed that there was something between Nikolaus and Dri. Lindsay is horrible and don't stress, she won't dig any deeper into their relationship and he is also deleting the messages. Unfortunately the next couple of chapters will not see them having some alone time apart from their sessions, as it was mentioned in the previous chapter it's like they are trying to convince themselves as well as everyone else that nothing is going on but it doesn't mean the end of their so called relationship and there will of course be more kissing.**

**ilovesos9467**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Things will eventually turn around for Dri.**


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter 71**

Adrianna POV

"Adrianna you have been seeing me for almost two weeks and you've barely told me anything, the only things I know I have gotten from your file" I stared at Isabelle Jenkins my psychologist, she was right. I had been seeing her for two weeks and I hadn't given anything up.

When Nikolaus took me to her office the morning after the dance, we made an appointment but she wasn't available for a few days around all my sessions and classes. By the time I finally saw her I had given up on the idea of seeing her and I wasn't allowed to cancel the sessions, Nikolaus had gone to Alberta saying I agreed to them and now they were compulsory.

"What would you like me to say?"

"How about we start with the basics, how was your childhood?"

"Fine until I was five and then I was pushed from home to home because no one wanted me"

"What was your mother like?"

"Wow, my file must not be that correct or you didn't read it all. Just took what was more recent, my mother died giving birth to me"

"The only information in your file is what has happened since you arrived here, we have nothing from when you were living in Melbourne"

"Fine, yes my mother died and I was left with my grandparents since my dad didn't know I existed. My grandparents died when I was five, is that what you wanted to know?"

"How did you feel when your grandparents died?"

"I was five, how the hell am I meant to remember what I felt then. Yes I miss them and I don't believe for a second that if they were still alive I wouldn't have been more hesitant to move to the other side of the world with some guy I just met claiming to be my father!"

"What were the families after that like?"

"How about you just ask the stupid question I know you want to, I know you would rather talk about Michael" I snapped at her, I was getting sick and tired of these round about questions. I knew she wanted to ask about Michael since everything linked back to him.

"How long did you stay with Michael before he sent you off to the next family?"

"Almost a year, he was the longest I stayed with a family. Most of them were only a couple of months"

"Why did he keep you around for so long?"

"No clue, even now I'm not too sure. Maybe he liked that I couldn't defend myself and he was able to drink dhampir blood instead of human blood, he was a drunk at the time and used me as a punching bag"

"What happened to make him send you away?"

"I learnt how to defend myself, I had been learning for months but I was too scared to try it until I was certain I could get the better over him"

"Why did the training take so long" god I was sick of these questions, I looked over at the clock and noticed I still had a while left of the session.

"It wasn't like the training I have here, I still had school to worry with, Jason had his schooling to worry about and we had to fit it around Michael not getting suspicious"

I spent the rest of her session answering all the questions she asked about Michael before dad turned up, I honestly hadn't thought this much about what it was like living with him since his trial. Even when he held me captive I didn't think back on the time I spent with him because the memories of what he did were stronger.

I left her office and headed towards the gym, since I had been dodging the questions in the last few sessions I hadn't come out angry but today, today is different. For some reason I gave in and answered the questions and they made me angry, I think she could tell I was getting angry but she didn't say anything. She kept asking knowing the only thing that would happen is I would snap or yell at her, I wouldn't throw a punch at her and she knew it.

There were other novices in here and it wasn't unusual, the only time they stayed away from this particular gym was when I had my sessions with Nikolaus out of respect, or he scared the crap out of them. I'm not 100% sure.

I went over to one of the vacant punching bags knowing it was better to take my anger out on it instead of beating up another novice. I went to throw my first punch but stopped half way, knowing that if I didn't strap my knuckles I would cause damage and I would hear about it tomorrow morning.

After I strapped my knuckles I dug though my bag looking for my ipod hoping to use the music to drown out the noisy freshman novices that had just come in. I put the headphones in and turned the music up drowning them out before I started throwing punches at the bag.

I didn't know how long I had been punching the bag for when I saw Emily and Stefan appear in my vision, they must have been trying to get my attention but I couldn't hear them over my music. I stopped and pulled my headphones out.

"What are you doing here?"

"You missed dinner" wow I must have been in here for a while to have missed dinner

"Must not have heard the bell signalling dinner" I unstrapped my knuckles and flexed my fingers to stretch the tightened muscles in my fingers.

"How was therapy?" I looked at Stefan and raised an eyebrow.

"It was the best, so rewarding. In fact it was so rewarding I decided to come and spend all my time in here for no particular reason" my voice was dripping with sarcasm and they both knew it but Emily hit Stefan over the head for asking a stupid question anyway.

"What happened that made you want to miss dinner and stay in here"

"For some reason I decided to answer her questions and they were all about Michael"

"Come on let's go see your dad, he'll be able to get you some dinner"

I didn't even realise I was that hungry until they mentioned getting me some food, I collected up my things and followed them towards the dad's suite. When he opened the door it was almost like he was expecting us.

"There's a plate of food in the kitchen, it just have to be heated up"

"Thanks dad" I gave him a smile before heading towards the kitchen and heating up the plate. When I came out all of them were sitting around the table, I walked over and joined them.

"How bad was therapy Dri?" I stared at dad with a mouth full of food. "Your psychologist came by asking me questions about what your upbringing was like before I brought you here"

"Right because I snapped at her for asking stupid questions, you know she was convinced mum was actually alive"

"I didn't see the point in putting that stuff in your file, all I did was put in the basics that I knew. Everything else was added afterwards..." I noticed he went off like he noticed or thought of something else. I looked over at him and noticed he was looking at my hands, he went to grab them. I knew he wanted to heal them but they weren't hurt, just red and irritated from the strapping so I pulled them away from him.

"Don't dad, my hands are fine I promise. They're just red from the strapping, I was punching the punching bag when those two found me"

"Dri..."

"I promise, look" I held out my hands moving my fingers around before pressing down on every single one of my knuckles. I knew he hated seeing anyone in pain, he had to always heal them. It's why he stayed away from the hospital unless he was needed in there, same as why he stayed away from most of the novices, he did his Spirit classes and kept to his suite.

"You sure you're not in pain?"

"I'm sure dad, the skin is just irritated. It's not causing me any pain, I promise. You don't need to do this"

He didn't say anything so I went back to my dinner while Emily and Stefan talked about the upcoming Christmas break.

"So what happened in therapy that caused your psychologist to come see me and for you to miss dinner?"

"She kept asking about Michael, for once I actually answered her questions and I was getting angry. Figured the punching bag was better than punching her"

"Yes it would be better, you know she's trying to help"

"I know but how would her asking about probably the worst time in my life going to fix my nightmares?"

"No idea, I'm not the therapist. Why don't you all head back to your own dorms, I'm sure you have homework if not you would rather see your friends then spend time in here"

"Most likely, thanks for dinner dad" I leaned over and kissed his cheek before getting up and leaving the suite with Emily and Stefan.

"You're not going to clean up after yourself?"

"I love you dad" I smirked at him as Emily and Stefan laughed and I quickly pushed them towards the door knowing dad could either start yelling at us for leaving him with the dishes or blackmail me into to cleaning up my dishes.

Even though all the senior novices had a body guard theory essay due as soon as Christmas break is finished and they weren't the small ones we normally got, this was a large chunk of our final grades. It was rumoured it also helped determine if the novices were ready for field experience when we returned as well as who got placed with who and how often they were attacked. My friends and I decided to spend the night hanging out in the lounge ignoring the responsibilities we had, we knew we only had a couple of months left before everything began serious and our chance at a life would be completely gone.

I woke up earlier than normal and I couldn't work out why, I had stayed up late with Emily after convincing Sarah and Amelia to join us in my dorm for some much needed girl talk. Belle had passed on some gossip that she had heard from the royals that had come from Court. Some of it involved last years' seniors and what they were up to as well as what happened to Stephanie Collins, turns out she just went to another academy for her senior year.

Knowing there was no point going back to sleep so I headed towards the gym for my session early, figured doing some conditioning training wouldn't hurt.

I was on the treadmill when I heard Nikolaus enter the gym, it was rare when I was here before him and this scene felt awfully familiar and I smiled at it the memory. Even though I injured myself and I was having concerns with Jason and Michael everything about it seemed completely normal. He didn't say anything as he walked over to where I was still running on the treadmill, as he got closer I turned down the speed so I was walking.

"Don't feel like talking this morning?" I smirked at him when he was standing in front of me

"The last time I came in here and found you on the treadmill I ended up scaring you"

"True but Christmas break starts this afternoon I would have had the time to rest if I injured myself"

"Why do I get the feeling you are going to bug every single Guardian at Court to help you train? I wouldn't be surprised if you walked in there and asked to spar with whoever was in there"

"Depends who is there actually, I don't know a lot of the Guardians at Court. Just the ones that work with Rose and Dimitri or my family, or the ones that have kids at Court"

"Right that whole Court children thing" I didn't the tone that sentence came out in, it wasn't normal and I hadn't heard it before.

"What's with the tone of voice?"

"I know who lives at Court, it's weird that you won't socialize with them here but at Court you will"

"It's hard to explain, what is the plan for today?"

"How's your body guard theory essay coming along?" why did he have to ask about that stupid essay…

"What's the plan for today?"

"Dri how much of your essay have you done?"

"Well it's 5000 words, so maybe 500 words" I didn't like lying and normally he could tell when I was, I just hoped this would be better than telling the truth and I couldn't stretch the lie that far to say I had done a fair chunk of it

"DRI!" he yelled loudly, I winched at the noise

"Why so loud?"

"For someone who wants to be able to participate in field experience so they can graduate with their friends you would think they would actually do the assignment"

"Stefan hasn't even started"

"I'm not Stefan's mentor but I'm sure Guardian Todd would love to hear that Stefan hasn't started it"

"You wouldn't"

"Don't have too, all the senior novices have appointments with their mentor today. Go back to your dorm and get your essay. We will work on that instead"

"Can't it's on my computer, why can't we train instead? I can do my essay over Christmas break"

"Dri, how much do you want to graduate with your friends?"

"A lot, why is this relevant?"

"How are you going in your novice classes?"

"This is stupid, you know how I'm going because you come and watch every single one of them" I was no longer getting my ass kicked in the fights, in fact I had caught up enough that I was sitting somewhere above the middle. Nikolaus said the other week that if I kept going the way I was I could graduate within the top 10 novices.

"Exactly and I know you have caught up to your friends, I would be surprised if you don't participate in field experience after Christmas break because of your ability to fight but you need this essay so you can"

"What I've written of my essay is on my computer though"

"Dri just go get your text books and an empty book, you can write hand written notes and then you can type them up later"

"Seriously?"

"NOW!" I had never seen him this annoyed because I hadn't done my essay, he knew I always left things to the last minute. I headed towards the doors leaving my bag on the ground knowing I wouldn't get away with not coming back

"Fine and one would think you're too afraid to be alone with me in my room" I mumbled kind of hoping he hadn't heard me but he didn't say anything to make me think otherwise.

When I made it back to the gym I found Nikolaus pacing while speaking in Greek on the phone, I had no idea what he was saying but I could tell he was angry, it made me wonder if this was going to make his previous mood worse or if this was on going. The only bit of the conversation I got was when he said 'I love you' before hanging up, I stood there a little shocked. I honestly hoped it was a family member, he turned and noticed me standing there.

"Seriously you're worried about me being with someone else?" he smirked but I didn't say anything, I just walked over to the mats and dumped my books on the ground. "Dri, it was my mother. Nothing to worry about"

"Why were you angry?" I sat on ground and started going through my text books.

"It's nothing" Nikolaus sat down next to me grabbing another book to go through

"Okay...can you teach me other sayings in Greek?"

"Nope, you have enough trouble pronouncing the two you do know and why do I have a feeling you don't actually want to have a conversation in Greek. I think it's more you want to know how to swear or say other weird phrases"

"You'll never know"

"I know you better than you think I do Dri, oh and just so you know, we both know why I shouldn't be with you in your room" I looked at him, I didn't actually think he heard me

"I'm sorry"

"It's fine, I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you anyway. Yes I'm angry you haven't done your essay but I'm not that angry"

"Forget it" I began reading through my text books taking various notes along the way in complete silence ignoring the looks Nikolaus was giving me.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I think drunk people in general are hilarious, I enjoying being the designated driver just to see the stupid things my drunk friends get up to. As you saw, yes she went and saw the psychologist. The nickname and family stuff is in the next chapter.**

**Brooke**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Dri does need someone to talk to but as you saw she didn't enjoy it. Dri believes her friends are all she needs to get through the struggles she has had in her life.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Trust me it is the worst running up and down the stairs while hungover, I've done it on numerous occasions. Staying in a hotel and getting drunk where there is no elevated was almost the death of me.**


	72. Chapter 72

**A/N: Just a note there are parts of this chapter that are said in Greek but since I don't know Greek and neither do most of you I will underline it just so you know and it makes sense as to why no one knows what is being said.**

**Chapter 72**

Nikolaus POV

"Fine and one would think you're too afraid to be alone with me in my room" I heard Dri mumble, I honestly didn't mean to take my anger out on her. It's not her fault I'm frustrated with what is happening.

My phone rang and I pulled it out noticing the caller ID, I didn't really want to deal with this again.

"Hello"

_"Really you're going to take that tone with me?"_

"Sorry mum but you can't believe I would be happy with this"

_"Your right, I didn't but I honestly didn't think you would react like this. What is the big deal?"_

"Mum you almost died last Christmas"

_"I will be fine Nicky, there will be plenty of Guardians with us"_

"I swear he's still annoyed about the attack"

_"If he was, you wouldn't have been allowed to visit last Christmas"_

"He knew I was coming to visit you but yet he still changes his plans knowing full well I couldn't change mine!"

_"I'm sorry Nicky, there is nothing I can do but I'm getting some time off in January. I will come see you then and hopefully I can meet this girl I've heard nothing about"_

"How do you there is a girl mum?"

_"Because I know you Nicky, for years it was just the two of us. Don't you think I would know when you're in love?"_

"You don't know what you're on about mum, you're losing your touch"

_"I'm not and this proves it, you're getting defensive about it. Who is she?"_

"Stop it! There is no girl, mum stop"

_"Oh come on at least give me a name"_

"I've got to go mum, I love you"

_"I love you too Nicky"_

I couldn't believe my mum knew there was a girl, I honestly didn't believe she knew me that well. I turned around and found Dri standing there shocked, I had heard her walk in and it's why I got off the phone but why would she, oh she heard me say I love you.

"Seriously you're worried about me being with someone else?" I smirked at her but she didn't say anything, she just walked over and dropped the books on the ground "Dri, it was my mother. Nothing to worry about"

"Why were you angry?"

"It's nothing" I went over and sat down next to her grabbing another book to go through, I knew I shouldn't be helping her like this but I couldn't honestly believe she had barely done anything.

"Okay...can you teach me other sayings in Greek?"

"Nope, you have enough trouble pronouncing the two sayings you do know and why do I have a feeling you don't actually want to have a conversation in Greek. I think it's more you want to know how to swear or say other weird phrases"

"You'll never know"

"I know you better than you think I do Dri, oh and just so you know, we both know why I shouldn't be with you in your room" she looked up at me, she was obviously shocked that I heard her

"I'm sorry"

"Its fine, I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you anyway. Yes I'm angry you haven't done your essay but I'm not that angry"

"Forget it" she looked away from me and back at her books.

The rest of the session went by with her barely saying anything to me, I couldn't believe she was annoyed I snapped her for not doing her assignment. I wanted to apologise but she didn't give me the chance, as soon as the session was finished she picked up her books and left not saying anything. Normally she checked with me as to if we were finished but today she didn't, she just left.

Classes had finished for the day and so was my guard work, I headed back to my room and just as I was about to jump in the shower my phone rang again. Expecting it to be my mum again I wanted to ignore it but I caught the caller ID and noticed it wasn't her.

"Mum rang you didn't she?" I wouldn't have been surprised if mum did, Kassandra was one of my cousins. Growing up with a bunch of girls I had no choice but to deal with them all, I didn't have a single male cousin

_"Yes Athena did ring me, who is this girl Nicky?"_

"Oh come on not you too Kass"

_"Seriously you grew up around us and we were all girls, we know when you're in love. Now what is her name?"_ I couldn't believe all of them knew about Dri, I didn't know how they knew about it but I was worried.

"There is no girl, I swear you are all losing your touch. Now honestly why are you calling me?"

_"Athena's worried, she's worried you're actually upset about not being able to see her"_

"And I'm sure you know why I want to see my own mother at Christmas"

_"I know it's because you don't celebrate your birthday, I know this Nicky. Just like I know every Christmas since Kostas was killed it has been the two of you. Why don't you come home for Christmas instead of staying at St Vladimir's?"_

"I can't, I can't change my flights otherwise I would to be able to still see mum"

_"We can pay for your flights"_

"No way, I know how much you all struggle to get money for bills"

_"Nicky let us do this for you"_

"No it's fine"

_"Oh hang on Kat wants to talk to you"_ I can't believe this, I heard Aikaterine and Kass argue about something before I heard Kat's voice.

_"Hi Nicky"_ she sounded way too happy, did she believe I was in love as well

"Hi Kat, what do you want?"

_"I want to know who this girl is"_

"There is no girl why won't you listen to me?"

_"Because there is a girl Nicky and please let us pay for your flights home"_

"No I'm not going to take your money"

_"Then you should at least call Athena and apologise"_

"Why should I have to apologise?"

_"Oh come on it's not Athena's fault the guy is a dick, we understand why you did what you did but you shouldn't take it out on her"_ there were too many voices in the background, how many of the girls were actually there.

"I know, hang on who is actually there with you and Kass?"

_"You don't want to know Nicky"_

"That means everyone Kat!"

_"Oh come on we're all excited our baby cousin found a girlfriend"_ times like these I hated being the youngest it didn't even matter that Kass was a couple of months older than me, I know most of them had children but according to them I was still the baby

"I'm hanging up now"

_"You wouldn't or I will get Yiayia on the phone"_ I always hated that threat, they always did it and it always worked. I could never lie to my grandmother and my cousins knew it

"You wouldn't Kat!"

_"Actually, I might. You might just tell her who the girl is" _

"Kat don't, there is no need since there is no girl"

_"Right, then explain this message I received the other day"_ she cleared her throat and I was worried, what had I send to her. _"Ahem, you really should open up to your therapist, she can help you. I worry about you"_ crap that was meant for Dri and I sent it to one of them, I couldn't believe I stuffed up that badly. At least they're family and not someone who could cause a lot of trouble for me.

"I sent that to you?"

_"No not me, you sent it to Lys"_ how the hell did I sent that message to Lysandra instead of Dri, at least it makes sense as to why Dri never replied.

"Are you kidding? And she is the one going around telling everyone I have a girlfriend?"

_"Well no, Kass saw the message and went around telling everyone"_

"I'm going to kill Kass!"

_"Who's the girl Nicky?"_

"It's no one Kat"

_"Then who was the message for?"_

"My student, you know the one that was kidnapped? She's been having some problems after what happened and I finally convinced her to see a therapist but she won't speak to her"

_"Oh my god Nicky!"_

"What?"

_"You're in love with your student"_

"Now you're overreacting and I'm defiantly hanging up on you. Bye Kat I love you"

I can't believe my cousins, they all thought I was in love with someone. I knew they would love me and they wouldn't care if Dri was my student but it was too hard, I knew what they were all like. They would get excited and want to meet her but I couldn't have that, not yet anyway. I didn't know what was going to happen with Dri, for all I know after Dri graduates I will never be able to see her again.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! So here it is, a little more insight into Nikolaus and his family.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Nikolaus worries about her education, he knows it's what she wants, he knows she wants to be able to graduate with her friends so he is helping her even though he isn't meant to. It's funny how you use boyfriend, I don't think I've actually that term yet. I'm glad you liked the therapy session, it was a different side of Dri and it's what I wanted to get out. Normally you just see her with her friends or Nikolaus or even the rare occasion her brothers but this is different, she's having to relive her past that haunts her.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It's fine I understand that life gets in the way of everything, even now I'm struggling with my school load and I'm just grateful I have pre written chapters. I'm you liked both of the chapters. Field experience is only a few chapters away in fact since there is another time jump coming up.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I love hearing things like that it makes my day!**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It's fine that you forgot to log in at least you informed this time so I knew who I was receiving reviews from. Yes novices are naughty but hey most of the time teenagers do attend parties while at high school and partake in those things and I have nothing against because I have down those things, hence the running up and down the stairs while drunk. I hate to say it but I do write about experiences, I've been drunk and know what it's like to be drunk so it makes it easier to write about but I will never write those slurred speech sentences some people do that bugs me. Yes Nikolaus is very sneaky for changing her out of her dress, I had read that 5 times before posting to make sure I had explained it right and I didn't have someone assuming Nikolaus is taking advantage of a drunk girl. I actually love writing their moments the most. I know it might not make sense about the sharing and I can't talk from experience but there are people who at first say they will go but then once they can't get out of it they decide not to open up. I know, I love sweet caring Adrian, I remember something be written in the books about how they always feel like they have to heal when they're injured but I can't remember if it was Lissa or Adrian but I decided to put it in. The essay is really important, it leads to the field experience. How often they get attacked, who they get paired with and so on.**


	73. Chapter 73

**A/N: I just want to explain something before everyone begins reading this chapter. I had one reviewer say they were confused by the previous chapter as two why Nikolaus was annoyed with his mum. It was more he was annoyed with the situation, his mother is still guarding the Moroi that was related to the one that Nikolaus had beat up and be sent to St Vladimir's in the first place. Since they don't really celebrate Nikolaus' birthday anymore since it was the same day his brother was killed him and his mum tend to spend Christmas together, normally he goes to where her and the Moroi are but this time round the Moroi changed the plans last minute and Nikolaus couldn't afford to change his flights. He's annoyed at not being able to see his mum on Christmas, hence his reaction that and she was almost killed last Christmas and he's worried it's going to happen again.**

**Chapter 73**

Adrianna POV

Christmas break had been quiet so far dad and Ellie weren't checking up on me every five minutes like I had expected they would but instead Matt and Nate were which didn't bother me. I had enjoyed spending the time with my brothers, I had even made sure I didn't throw the controller at the T.V to break it again when we were playing Video games.

I had even spent a bit time with just Emily and Stefan, it was like everything had happened in the last twelve months didn't. It was almost like last Christmas all over again, except we weren't in trouble for getting busted for a large party we shouldn't have thrown.

The one thing I wasn't looking forward too was the annual Christmas ball that Lissa threw for the Moroi, I don't know why dad wanted me to attend. He had never forced me to attend in previous years and it was because no other dhampirs were guests, they were there if they were working. I was invited because I was practically family, normally I skipped out and spent the night at Emily's with her and Stefan.

"Why do I have to go to the ball this year" I was in my room with Ellie, Rose and Lissa. I was trying on dresses and they had to approve them, I was being forced to go but not allowed to wear what I wanted. Something about showing respect and not throwing my body at the older male Moroi and making them think I was up for a casual fling or anything else they had in mind.

"Adrian just wants to keep an eye on you" Rose spoke not even paying attention to my dress, she may have attended these things before because of Lissa but it didn't mean she took notice of what everyone else was wearing.

"No that dress is too tight" I groaned at Lissa's comment before turning back to my wardrobe, I was running out of dresses.

"Lissa this isn't going to work, most of my dresses are short and/or tight. I've never been forced to attend these so the only things I ever had to worry about was the school dress codes and let's be honest here, I never really followed those anyway"

"Maybe you should just take her shopping Liss or we should convince Adrian that it would be better to let her be with her friends. I'm pretty sure Val has the night off so she will be at home anyway"

"There it's not like the three of us can get drunk since Val won't let us"

"Dri that's not the point and you know after everything that's happened Adrian wants to keep an eye on you"

"Why can't Val keep an eye on us then?" I turned around and hadn't even noticed that Lissa was now in my wardrobe going through the dresses I had.

"What happened to the bright blue dress I bought you last year Dri?"

"My boobs grew a size and it no longer fits" I shrugged at her

"Fine, let's just take her shopping then" I groaned at the idea of going shopping with Lissa, she always took me to the shops that normally dealt with the rich snobby Moroi and they always looked down on me when I went in there with her.

Two hours and probably 100 dresses I tried on later they all finally agreed on a dress that would be suitable for the ball and I hated it. The only thing I liked about it was the colour, it was a teal colour and Lissa said it brought out my eyes more and honestly how much more did you want to bring out my eyes, they were incredibly bright as it was. The style of the dress wasn't me, it wasn't something I would buy myself and when I told Lissa this, she said that was the point.

It was floor length, had sleeves and completely hid my figure. The only thing that gave away my figure was the fact that we couldn't find a dress that they all agreed on that hid my boobs, this one showed the smallest bit of cleavage. It took Lissa 10 dresses before she finally decided to buy the teal one.

After having Lissa's makeup artist and hair stylist poke and prod at my face and hair it was finally time to head into the grand hall for the ball and I was dreading it, I wouldn't even have Rose there. Both Lissa and Christian have given her and Dimitri the night off, the only people I knew well enough that wouldn't be busy was Matt, Nate and the twins but chances were the twins were at home with a babysitter.

The ball was what I thought it was, boring. I had spent the night dodging the older males that kept coming over and hitting on me, it was starting to get on my last nerve. The only thing that stopped me from yelling at one of them was the fact that dad would make sure I was put on suspension back at school for it, so I tried to do the right thing and ask dad if I could leave early but he said no and walked off to have a conversation with whoever.

I was standing off to the side with Matt and Nate and we were playing our favourite game, how boring is that persons' life. Except we didn't speak, we all knew that we could be over heard so this was the only time I actually handed my phone over, we would type up our guesses and show each other. A few people looked our way when we laughed but didn't think anything of the two children and a 19 year old novice laughing in the corner.

I was in the middle of typing out my next theory when Rose appeared out of nowhere grabbing my arm to drag me away from my brothers. At first I thought she was going to help me escape since I had already sent her a couple of messages but she wouldn't go against dad's wishes to keep an eye on me.

"Rose what's going on, why are you here?"

"I need you to come with me"

"Why?"

"I can't tell you here"

"Dad will lose it"

"Your brothers saw me drag you away, they will tell Adrian I took you from the ball" I didn't say anything else but let Rose drag me away, I was actually happy to leave, anything to get me away from the Moroi

It was when I noticed she was pulling me towards her house that I was confused, she couldn't have felt that sorry for me that she rescued me from the ball. Both her and Dimitri had been forced to attend who knows how many more because of Lissa and Christian.

"What am I doing here? I know you didn't spring me because you felt sorry for me" but she didn't answer me, she just pulled me inside and slammed the door behind her causing Dimitri to appear in the hallway.

"Took you long enough"

"I had trouble finding her"

"Someone please tell me what I'm doing here" I looked at them both

"Nikolaus is here" that shocked me, I assumed he stayed at the academy

"Why?"

"He said he the time off booked to go and see his mum but his plans were changed. When Christian and I turned up to pick the twins up I was speaking to him, I said he was more than welcome here. The three of us have been getting along pretty well the last few months"

"Okay why am I here? Something tells me you two aren't giving us permission to have sex in your guest room"

"No we're not but he received a phone call earlier, he was speaking in Greek and we couldn't understand any of it. He left, slammed doors behind him and then he started yelling in Greek from the guest room. He sounded really angry Dri and then he went quiet, too quiet. We're worried but he won't unlock the door for either of us" I stared at Rose, not knowing exactly what they wanted me to do

"What makes you think he'll unlock for me?"

"He loves you"

"Doesn't mean anything Dimitri, I swear ever since our feelings have come out we have argued more often"

"Please try"

"Fine but first I'm taking these bloody heels off" I walked into the living room so I could sit down and take the heels off before getting up and heading back down the hallway where I knew the guest room was.

I knocked on the door and I wasn't met with a reply, I couldn't hear anything not even shuffling around the room to indicate he was still in there. I turned around and saw both of them standing there.

"Are you sure he's still in there?"

"No idea, the doors locked and from the outside the windows still closed but there is a light on"

"He could have snuck out and closed it behind him" they didn't reply, they just stood there watching me. I let out a sigh and turned back around with the idea of knocking on the door again but I heard some noise on the other side.

Eventually the door opened but I couldn't see him. "Dri?" he didn't say much but it was enough to know something was wrong.

"Yes it's me, please let me in" the door opened more allowing me to enter the room, once I was in the door shut and he locked it again.

When I turned to look at him, he looked like a mess. I had never seen him look like this, all the times I saw him worried about me, I had not once seen him cry. Even now it was obvious he was trying not to cry in front of me but it was obvious he had been crying.

"What happened" I went walk over to him but he headed towards the bed and lied down, I followed him and climbed in beside him.

"You look beautiful"

"Don't change the subject, what happened?"

"Why do you look beautiful?"

"Dad forced me to go the Moroi Christmas ball and I don't know why"

"He wants to protect you, I wish I could have protected her"

"Protected who, what happened?" he rolled over so he was facing me and I reached out to stroke his cheek, I almost expected him to pull away but he didn't instead he placed his hand on my lower back and moved closer so there was practically no space between us.

"My mother was killed"

"I'm so sorry" he closed his eyes and I honestly had no idea what else to say

We stayed like that in silence, I think he was taking in the comfort that I was here for him while I was at a loss of what to say. I grew up without my mother, I never actually lost her so I don't know what people would say in that situation and when my grandparents died I was considered too young by social services for the funeral so even then I didn't get to hear what people said about losing them.

"Thank you for being here, why are you here though?"

"Rose came and kidnapped me, they were worried about you. Dad won't be happy but I'm sure she'll come up with something"

"You won't tell them what happened?"

"Not if you don't want me too but I'm also not going to leave any time soon. What did happen?"

"I was meant to go to and see her like I do every Christmas but her charge decided to change plans last minute and I couldn't change my flights nor pay for new ones. Strigoi planned the attack and surprised my mother and the other Guardian killing them first supposably, everyone was found dead a few days later being today when I received the phone call"

"They said you were speaking in Greek though"

"They told my grandmother first and she told me, I was speaking in Greek to her"

"You yelled at your grandmother?"

"I know I'm a horrible person" he closed his eyes, I knew he felt bad for yelling at her

"Hey, you heard some bad news. You're allowed to react badly, I doubt she will hold it against you"

"I'll find out when I get the chance to go out there, I can't afford to fly out there for the funeral"

"You can't miss your mother's funeral"

"I've got no other choice Dri"

"Let me tell them, I'm sure they have enough pull they could organise something"

"No don't, don't tell anyone"

"Alright, I'm just going to get us some drinks and food. I'm assuming we're going to spend the night in here" I softly kissed him before getting up and leaving the room.

I hated knowing what I was doing was wrong but he couldn't miss his mother's funeral, he had to be there otherwise he would hate himself for the rest of his life. I knew Dimitri and Rose would be able to work something out, I just hoped Nikolaus wouldn't hate me forever. I found them sitting in the living room, Rose was watching T.V while Dimitri was reading one of his western novels.

"What happened?"

"How many Strigoi attacks have then been recently?" I hoped me asking them questions they would be able to work out what happened so then technically I never told them.

"Just one, why?"

"Any deaths?"

"Yeah the whole Moroi family plus the two Guardians"

"Who were the Guardians?"

"I never read the file but it's around here somewhere" Rose looked confused but realisation cross Dimitri's face.

"I did, the Guardians were Jacobson and Anastas"

"Wait Anastas as in Nikolaus Anastas?"

"Rose how many Guardian Anastas' do you know of?"

"Two, no wonder he was angry. He was meant to see her over the break"

"Yeah he was and he said he can't afford the flights back to Greece for the funeral. Isn't there something set up for this sort of thing?"

"There is but not everyone gets approved for it, it depends on the situation"

"But he's not guarding anyone, surely he would be approved"

"No but technically he is working at St Vladimir's, what about all his shifts and your sessions Dri"

"Easy fixed, during the last three years when there was the senior field experience whoever was available took them and plus field experience starts soon, I doubt I will be having my sessions then. Can't you at least try? I know you two have enough pull to work something out" I pleaded with them, Rose caved first and looked at Dimitri

"What if it was Olena?"

"Lissa would pay for the flights and force both of us on the plane"

"Exactly"

"Fine, Dri I will try and organise something"

"Thank you both" I walked over and kissed them both on the cheek before heading into the kitchen and grabbing the things I said I would before going back and joining Nikolaus on the bed and I handed him a bottle of water.

"What took so long?"

"They bugged me about what was bothering you"

"You didn't tell them?"

"No I didn't tell them" I curled up beside him and he put an arm around me

"You know the more I look at that dress the more I think that it isn't you"

"Your right it's not me, Lissa picked the dress. Something about being respectable around the male Moroi but yet they still hit on me hoping I would have sex with them" I looked over at him and noticed the look of jealously on his face and I smiled at him

"What?"

"As I've said before, it's adorable when you're jealous"

"Never said I was jealous, can you stay?"

"I never planned on leaving, I just hope Rose and Dimitri can cover long enough. Who knows you're here?"

"Not many people, why?"

"Well if dad finds out that I spent the night here with Rose and Dimitri and then somehow he finds out it was you as well, he might not be happy"

"Take the risk and stay please"

"As I said I never planned on leaving, you stayed with me when I needed you why would I leave you when you need me?" I got up and headed for the door

"But you are leaving"

"I need to get changed, I'm not spending the night in this dress. I will be back"

I could tell he wasn't happy but he knew I was right and needed to get changed. I knew he was struggling with the loss of his mother but I didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say or even how to comfort him. All I knew was that he needed me and I would be there for him.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! I know I'm sorry please don't hate me but I have a reason behind Nikolaus losing his mother.**

**Jpitt**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the family scene, I've seen in movies that Greek, Italian pretty much most families in that general area are a part of huge families hence why I made the phone get passed around between different people as well as naming as other or even having Nikolaus hear multiple voices in the background. I hope the authors note at the beginning cleared up your confusion though.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As always I'm glad you are still enjoying my story!**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed that it was Nikolaus' POV, I had someone request some family scenes with Nikolaus and I had to think of something to fit in with what I had already written and this seemed like a good fit.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked that it was all Nikolaus, I love Nicky as a nick name but I always imagine it being used on a little kid it's the same reason why I gave James the nick name Jaime from his mum. I know it's weird seeing him like he is with Dri and the rest of them at the Academy and then having him as the baby of the family and everyone calling him Nicky, it's so different and I loved writing that different side. Yes Kass will be a lot of fun and she will make an appearance eventually, there will be another appearance shortly but then she will disappear until after Dri graduates. I hope this was the family scene that you wanted. Yes it is true that they are sort of a couple but nothing has been defined between the two of them and what happened in this chapter will really change things between them but will it be for the better or not?**


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter 74**

Adrianna POV

"You told them!" was followed by a door slamming, I groaned and placed a pillow over my head but it wasn't there long before it was pulled away from my face.

"I didn't tell them" I sat up as Nikolaus sat down beside me, I didn't even realise he had left earlier this morning and I'm surprised Rose and Dimitri said something to him.

"Then how do they know?"

"When I went out there they started asking questions, so I asked questions back. I asked if there were any recent attacks, any deaths and who the Guardians were. Dimitri read the report but never connected the name until I asked all the questions. I swear that's what happened"

"Then what about them organising a way for me to go home for the funeral"

"Are you telling me you don't want to go?"

"No, why did you ask them to organise a way for me to go home"

"Because you deserve it, you know I never went to my grandparents' funeral. I was told I was too young. They said they have funds set up for this sort of thing, they were going to look into it and see if you could be approved to go home for the funeral" I was shocked when he leaned over and kissed me, he was yelling at me mere minutes ago and now he was kissing me.

"Thank you" he pulled away and smiled at me

"I told you, you deserve to go to your mother's funeral. You shouldn't miss it just because you can't afford to go home"

"You're perfect you know that"

"Oh I know that" I grinned at him but he shook his head at me

"You should head home before Adrian starts to worry"

"Chances are he already is, or Rose called him"

"Just go home Dri, we don't need him to turn up here"

"Are you going to be alright?"

"No but Rose and Dimitri are out there and I can call you"

"Alright, the pain doesn't go away but it does lessen over time" I leaned up and kissed him before getting off the bed and leaving the room and heading home.

When I made it home I found dad and Ellie sitting in the living having a hushed conversation, I assume it was about whatever Rose told them why I was there instead of coming home. I also assumed they didn't want Matt and Nate to over hear them.

"Why didn't you tell me you were that unnerved by the male Moroi hitting on you" so I guess Rose stuck with the partial truth

"I tried but you wouldn't listen to me, I even asked to leave because of it. When you wouldn't listen to me I messaged Rose, she came and kidnapped me"

"I'm sorry Dri, I didn't realise they would bother you that much"

"Why did you force me to go last night? Surely you know how bad some of them are?"

"I do, I just didn't expect them to do it at the Queen's event"

"Right because everyone is just perfect when the Queen is around, you were related to the previous one and yet you weren't perfect in front of her" I snapped at him, he knew what would happen by bringing me and yet he still did

"Adrianna!" Ellie yelled me but I ignored her, I loved Ellie I truly did but we both knew that only dad could punish me.

"Your room now Adrianna!" I stared at Adrian as he pointed upstairs

"Are you kidding me? You drag me alone to some event I don't want to go to because I know that I would get hit on and you even knew that but yet you still forced me to go"

"I said your room Adrianna!"

"This is fucking bullshit" I yelled before storming upstairs stomping on each step. When I made it upstairs I found Matt and Nate hiding around the corner

"You two were eavesdropping?"

"Yeah, how come dad's that mad about you leaving last night. Even I could tell you weren't happy whenever those men spoke to you"

"What does hitting on mean?" I looked at Nate and laughed.

"Ask again when you're 16"

"ADRIANNA I TOLD YOU TO GO TO YOUR ROOM!" I hung my head before looking at my brothers, they both shrugged before heading off to their own rooms.

I entered my room slamming the door behind me, I walked over to bed and pulled out my phone to message Rose.

_What did you tell dad, he's furious_

But I never got a reply from her, I just sat there staring at the ceiling trying to work out what made dad so angry. He knew how I could feel around some Moroi, considering it was two male Moroi that helped hold me captive it was worse around them.

Thinking about being held captive, it made me wonder what was happening to Clary and her mum. No one would tell me anything, I didn't even know where they were being kept but it didn't matter chances are that if they were being held here at Court I doubt I would be allowed to see them anyway.

I heard my bedroom door open but no one said anything, "Why can't I see Clary?"

"You know why" I rolled over and faced the opposite wall. Dad was the last person I wanted to see

"Go away dad"

"So Rose told me it was just you two and Dimitri but I heard from Shane that Nikolaus has been staying here at Court, apparently with them. Why would Rose lie to me and why is Nikolaus staying with them"

"What else did Shane tell you?"

"Nothing why?" I sat up and looked at him

"His mother was killed, Rose and Dimitri were worried about him. They hoped I could get out of him what happened, as for him staying with them. His mother's Moroi changed their plans last minute and he wasn't able to change his flights. They offered him their spare bedroom since the holidays were already booked at the academy and the shifts were covered, he wasn't needed there"

"Where did you sleep? Their third bedroom is an office"

"I slept on the couch, are you seriously worried about something happening with Nikolaus?"

"I don't know Dri, you two are awfully close. Sometimes I wonder"

"Wonder what, if I took leaf out of Rose's book? Don't you think Rose and Dimitri would have noticed something last night? Tell me, why would Nikolaus risk his reputation? When he started at the academy he had only been out in the world for a couple of years"

"You and I both know it didn't ruin Dimitri's"

"Because he proved everyone wrong, both him and Rose did. I've heard the stories here at Court and at St Vladimir's, they are both considered gods"

"Nothing is happening between you two?"

"You're an idiot dad"

"Don't talk to me like that Adrianna"

"Why? All you've done is suggest crazy ideas, you think I enjoy having male Moroi hit on me, you think I'm having an affair with a teacher and you think Rose is helping me cover it up"

"You're grounded, I don't care what plans you have for the rest of the break. They're cancelled and you'll be lucky if I don't put you on suspension when we go back to school"

"This is bullshit, you can't punish me for this. I didn't do anything wrong, you took me to a Moroi function where there would have been some asshole who thinks female dhampirs are just around for their pleasure. You knew what would happen when you brought me there, it didn't matter if we spent hours trying to find the least flattering dress. They could still tell I was a female and a dhampir. I did message Rose telling her what happened, she came and saved me from them as well as hoping I could help with Nikolaus. Nikolaus wasn't the reason she came and got me!"

"Stop trying to fight me on this Adrianna, you're grounded and I mean it. If you leave this house once I will suspended you when we get back to St Vladimir's. Now give me your phone" I hated how dad was a teacher at my school, he might not teach any of my subjects but he was still able to punish me. Chances are Alberta wouldn't even question him on it

"No, that's bullshit. I'm not giving you my phone"

"Give it here Adrianna" I watched as dad held out his hand, I'm just glad I was practically sitting on it and he couldn't see it.

"No, now get the fuck out of my room. I will stay in this house but I'm not giving you my phone!"

Dad didn't say anything, he just left my room slamming the door behind him. I wasn't alone for long until Matt and Nate came in and joined me on the bed.

"What's going on?"

"We've never heard you and dad fight this bad"

"I don't know, I honestly don't know. Can you two leave? I have to call Rose"

"I doubt Rose will help you get out trouble"

"She can try Matt, you both saw her drag me away"

"Please don't fight with dad, I don't like it"

"I'll try Nate" I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and kissed his head. He was too young to specialize but I had a feeling if either him or Matt had to be a Spirit user, Nate was my guess.

They both left my room and when the door was shut, I dialled Rose hoping she would answer my call.

_"Dri can I call you back?"_

"No because whatever you said to dad backfired, Shane told him that Nikolaus has been staying with you. He now thinks there's something going on between us"

_"That's because there is Dri"_

"That's not the point, he grounded me and if I leave the house he'll put me on suspension when we go back. What the hell did you tell him Rose!"

_"I just told him that the Moroi were bugging you and I came and rescued you, then you spent the night at mine and Dimitri's"_

"So nothing about how it was just the three of us, he's convinced you're helping me cover something up"

_"Because I am, let me talk to Adrian but for now I have to go Dri"_

"Fine" I hanged up on her and stared at the ceiling.

I spent the rest of the day in my room, avoiding going down stairs and dealing with dad. Ellie came and spoke to me asking if I was hiding anything from her and dad and I was but I couldn't tell her that, all I said was nothing was happening between Nikolaus and I as well as what our cover story was.

The only time dad spoke to me was to inform me that him, Ellie, Matt and Nate were going out for dinner and since I was grounded I wasn't allowed to go. I believed it was more Ellie was worried it would end up with the two of us yelling at each other again, I didn't even know where they going and I didn't care, unless Rose was going to be there because then she could say something to dad because I really wanted to go this New Years Eve party that was being thrown for us Court kids.

When I headed downstairs to grab some food for dinner I was shocked to find Shane sitting in front of the T.V, I can't believe dad organised a babysitter for me. I walked over and took a seat on one of the armchairs

"You've got to be kidding me"

"You think I'm happy about being your babysitter"

"It's your fault, if you hadn't have told dad that Nikolaus was here I wouldn't be in trouble"

"Why me, I don't even know why you're in trouble"

"You could just let me go and see Emily"

"Right, I also know if you leave the house you will get suspended when school starts up again"

"Why did you have to tell dad Nikolaus was staying with them, dad's convinced something is happening and I'm lying to him"

"Is something happening between the two of you?"

"No, why does everyone think that?"

"Maybe because you two are awfully close and remember I know what happened in Melbourne"

"Doesn't mean we've had sex since then Shane! Rose kidnapped me because the male were annoying me, her and Dimitri also hoped I could find out what was bothering Nikolaus, he locked himself in the guest room and they were worried. Do you know what happened?"

"Yes, I read the report and made the connection about how it was his mother that was killed but I hadn't seen him. Only heard that he was at Court, I didn't realise it was going to get you in trouble. I overheard Adrian say that you spent the night at theirs and I mentioned that Nikolaus was there too, I didn't know you were not meant to be there, I had yesterday off Dri"

"I guess I can't completely blame you, have you eaten or am I cooking for you as well"

"Well I could really go some steak, mashed potato and veggies" he joked knowing full well that I can't actually cook.

"Last night's leftover meatloaf it is" I smirked at him as I stood up and headed towards the kitchen

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes poor Nikolaus, I hated writing this chapter and doing this to him but I have a purpose to everything, I promise. As you can see it was worked out and he will be able to fly back home and see his family.**

**Brooke**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes poor Nikolaus, originally I was going to have him there and be the sole survivor of the attack and so how much he means to Dri when she hears what happened but I decided to go this way instead to show how much Nikolaus trusts Dri, because remember he only opened the door for her and told her what happened.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked this chapter and that it was the perfect combination of drama, sadness and adorableness, it makes me happy hearing that since I was so worried about how people would react to me killing of his mother.**

**LilianGrace**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes and I'm awfully sorry for killing his mother off but I have a reason behind my madness. I couldn't even picture in my head how that meeting that went. I'm glad you enjoyed the Lissa and Dri scene and yes you will see a bit more of Kass while Nikolaus is at home but not much. More of her will come later in the story.**


	75. Chapter 75

**Chapter 75**

Adrianna POV

Christmas was quiet at home, dad and I weren't saying anything to each other and Matt and Nate were worried about what was going to happen. I knew that Rose, Dimitri and Shane all spoke to dad to try and get him to change his mind about being mad at me but he hadn't said anything to me to make me think they had changed his mind.

I had barely spoken to Nikolaus, not long after my conversation with Shane I had managed to call Nikolaus and let him know what was happening. He was worried but I told him not too, I told him dad dropped the idea of us being together but it was more I didn't want to worry him more than he already was because of his mother. He had also told me he had been approved to have his flights home paid for so he could attend the funeral but at this point in time he didn't know when he was going to return.

It was New Year's Eve and I was still not allowed to attend the party that the kids that lived at Court were throwing, I knew both Emily and Stefan were attending and I wanted to be with them but dad hadn't budged on the whole me being grounded. I had even planned on sneaking out but I knew I would most likely get caught and that would make things much worse off.

"Adrianna" I turned my head and looked at dad that was another that hadn't changed. He kept calling me Adrianna instead of Dri, it was the one sign that I knew meant he was still really mad at me

"What do you want dad? I know full well I'm not allowed to attend this party and I most likely won't be able to attend the one you and Ellie are attending and I'm assuming I will be stuck at home with Matt, Nate and either Shane or Nathan depending on who you got to be our baby sitter" I went back to my computer screen, another thing about being grounded meant I had more than enough time to work on this body guard theory assignment that was due when we returned to the academy. I finished it days ago but since I had nothing else to do I keep doing research finding more information.

"Is that your body guard theory assignment?"

"It is, I've been working on it nonstop since I've got nothing better to do"

"Is it finished?"

"Yes I did days ago"

"You know if you had just worked on your 5000 word essay before the break started I wouldn't have resulted to this" my mouth fell open, did he really just say he grounded me because I hadn't done my essay

"Are you saying what I think your saying?"

"That I grounded you so you would work on the essay?"

"You're an asshole!"

"Dri"

"Don't this is bullshit, I would have worked on it. I know how important the essay is, you didn't have to ground me so I would do it"

"Then why did Nikolaus come to me before the break started telling me he was worried that you weren't actually going to do it, something about him being afraid you're going to screw up so you can't graduate and there for become a Guardian"

"I'm going to kill him for going to you, so everything you said about Nikolaus and I having an affair and getting Rose to cover for us and everything else we argued about"

"I know what buttons to push to make you angry"

"So you have no concerns about Nikolaus and I?"

"There are times when I wonder what is going on but after everything you've been through he has always be there to help you get through, so I figured there as to be some sort of close friendship between the two of you"

"Then why did you do it?" I watched as he walked over and took a seat on my bed, I spun around on the chair and looked at him

"Ever since you were kidnapped and had to kill the Strigoi and you accidently killed the Moroi, we have been wondering if that was the final straw for you not wanting to become a Guardian but none of us want you to punish yourself or ruin your chances. I knew that if you were able to spend the whole break with Emily and Stefan you wouldn't finish the essay, I was only going to get mad at you for sneaking out one night but then you snuck off with Rose and Nikolaus was there as well. It was the perfect opportunity for me"

"This is bullshit, are you saying everyone has been walking around eggshells in this house because you wanted me to do my homework. Why the hell didn't you just force me to stay at home and work on it?"

"Because I knew if I did that you would rush it and not actually work on it properly, I grounded you and forced you to stay at home. You don't exactly like playing the videogames that Matt and Nate do and you can't sit still for long so that rules out the T.V, the only other thing left was your essay"

"This is bullshit, I'm going to that party tonight. I don't give a fuck what you say" I got up and stormed out of my room slamming the door behind me.

I couldn't believe dad planned that just so I would work on my essay, it's fucked. Who the hell does that kind of thing to someone they love. I kept going all the way to Emily's and it wasn't till I got there I realised I had nothing to wear, I just hoped Emily didn't care if I raided her wardrobe for clothes, shoes and make up.

I walked through the front door and noticed Stefan and James sitting on the couch talking about something, I didn't even know James was at Court I thought he went home to his parents, they were shocked when they noticed me but I ignored them and kept going all the way to Emily's room.

"I'm naked Dri"

"And your point, at least the boys didn't follow me" I walked over to her bed and took a seat, we both knew the boys would be listening on the other side.

"What are you doing here, thought you were grounded for the rest of break"

"Well it turns out that dad is an asshole, he grounded me just so I would work on the stupid body guard theory essay"

"You hadn't even started it before the break, you said you lied to Nikolaus about even doing the 500 words" I hated that I lied to him, he was already angry and I didn't want to make it worse by saying that I hadn't even started it

"Stefan hadn't done much on it either"

"No he had, he had done probably 2000 words"

"Why did he lie to me?"

"Because you said you hadn't done yours, we both know Stefan is more likely to not do the essay than I am"

I ignored her and laid back on the bed while she got dressed, once she was she went over and opened the door so the boys could come in. I couldn't believe Stefan lied to me about the assignment, I wouldn't have cared if he had actually worked on it or did they think the same thing as dad.

"Do you all think I'm inadvertently sabotaging my chances of graduating and becoming a Guardian?" I sat up and looked at my friends, I knew as soon as they all looked away from me and at each other that they had spoken about this before.

"Dri you didn't want to get your Molnija mark"

"You're training hasn't slipped because Nikolaus wouldn't allow it, but everything else has, your grades are slipping"

"This is crazy, I want to graduate with you guys why would I sabotage myself"

"Because you don't want to be a Guardian, you freaked out after having killed both a Strigoi and a Moroi. Maybe you don't want that anymore"

"Doesn't mean I'm going to risk myself from not graduating"

"Fine then why didn't you do the essay before the break started?"

"Emily I need to raid your wardrobe for the party" I ignored Stefan's question and looked at Emily all she did was wave her hand allowing me to go through it. I just hoped they all dropped this, I couldn't believe they all thought I didn't want to graduate with them

The next morning I was woken up by a ringing sound, it was pounding in my head. I had been out late last night with my friends because of the party. The one downfall to living on a vampire schedule and being awake during the night time it meant that midnight was in fact midday and therefore we celebrated the New Year in the middle of our day. Court went big on the New Year celebration party and the kids went even bigger for their party, I was just grateful I wasn't hung over for once.

"Dri answer your phone" Emily complained while giving me a shove. I shoved her back before sitting up and grabbing my phone, I almost expected it to be dad making sure I was still alive but instead it was Nikolaus. I got out of bed and left the room heading out into the hallway hoping Val, Stefan and James were still asleep.

"Hello"

_"You don't sound hung over, that's a surprise"_

"Glad to know I don't deserve a hello, how are you?"

_"I'm sorry, I really was expecting you to be hung over. I'm getting there, I forgot how much I missed the rest of my family. How's punishment going?"_

"Well considering you thought I was hung over it makes wonder what you know but I will deal with you when you get back, why are you ringing me so early?"

_"It's not that early, it's late morning, human time though. The funeral is today"_ my heart broke for him at the sound of his voice, I wouldn't be surprised if he had been crying again

"That is early, it's holidays for me. Are you going to be alright?"

_"I'm not sure, I wish you could have come with me though"_

"Yes and then dad would have actually had a fit about us"

_"Don't be like that Dri, Adrian loves you and he has his reasons for forcing you to do the essay"_

"Right the essay"

_"I get it your angry at me"_

"I am but as I said, I will deal with you when you get back. You know if things were different I would be there with you"

_"I know, look I have to go"_

"Wait, Nik..." but he hang up on me, I let out a sigh and leaned against the wall.

"How is he?" of course James would know what's going on

"Upset, depressed, however else you expect someone to be when they lose their mother"

"You lost your mother"

"No, I grew up without mine there is a difference and before you say it I don't remember what it was like to lose my grandparents"

"Why he did ring? He had to have known there was a chance you were at home"

"I don't know, all he said to give me some indication was that the funeral was today and he wished I was there with him. I even said if things were different I would be there with him"

"Dri he lost his mother, you were the one he willingly told. Maybe he just wanted to hear your voice"

"But I don't know what to say, I don't know how to react around someone that lost someone"

"How did everyone react around you?"

"Oh yeah my grandparents friends that I never saw once my grandparents died? Social services literally placed me straight into a foster home, I didn't even go to the funeral" I snapped at him and instantly felt bad, I didn't mean it. I guess I was still mad at dad and taking it out on everyone else

"Right sorry, when he comes home just be there for him and remember that he obviously cares enough about you to decide that you are the one he told that his mother was killed and let you see him at his worst"

"I know, I just wish I knew what to say and do around him"

"Dri if we all knew what to say and do, it would be a hell of a lot easier to help someone get through a hard time"

"I hate that our lives are filled with death and disaster"

"I do as well Dri, come on Val's making breakfast" James had to practically dragged me to the kitchen for breakfast.

When I returned home a couple of days later I noticed dad sitting in the living room, I had a few missed calls and messages from him but I didn't want to talk to him. Even now, I still didn't want to talk to him but I had to come home since we were returning the academy tomorrow.

"Dri wait" I tried to head upstairs without him noticing me but I only made it on the first couple of steps before he called me.

"What dad, what you did was a real dick move" I moved from the steps and leaned against the entryway to the living room.

"I know and I shouldn't have but there was no other way to make sure you did the essay"

"I told you I would have done it just because I don't know if I want to be a Guardian it doesn't mean I don't want to graduate with my friends"

"How could I be so sure though, you told Nikolaus you only did 500 words before the break started. You had had that essay for a month before the break and you did barely anything"

"Why does it matter now all of a sudden? Why does my education matter now, you never forced me to go to St Vladimir's and participate in the Guardian training. That was my choice, no one is forcing me to become Guardian like it is expected of every other dhampir. I don't get it dad, why now?"

"Dri, you've trained and worked so hard to get up to the level you are at and then you get kidnapped and all of a sudden it seems like everything is going backwards. I'm worried that you being kidnapped got you scared and you changed your mind about your future"

"No, I'm not scared. My grades slipped because I was stressed about what happened, after everything with Michael and then finding out that Michael was involved made it worse. I still don't even know if I will be allowed to become a Guardian, I haven't heard anything about the field experience yet"

"Are you sure Dri?"

"Yes dad, I want to graduate with my friends and you grounding me for no reason wasn't right" I shook my head before I turned around and headed upstairs.

I heard him try and stop me but I didn't, I just kept going. Even once I was in my room with the door closed and my music on, I ignored the knocking. I knew it was dad because if I didn't answer and it was either Matt, Nate or Ellie they would have opened the door to get my attention.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, yes I was hoping to put in some suspense by Adrian questioning her about her and Nikolaus but as you can see, he is either ignoring the signs in front of him or he hasn't seen them at all. In a previous chapter I said Adrian mostly sticks to his suite to avoid the temptation of seeing the novices injured, it's probably why he doesn't think there is something there.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. When I saw your review for chapter 73 and all it was was a sad face I had a little laugh since most of your reviews are usually filled with many questions or statements and that one wasn't but yes it was such a sad chapter. Yes there were many lies in that previous chapter about Dri trying to convince Adrian nothing was going on. Adrian isn't noticing what is going on for many reasons, either he doesn't see the signs or he is ignoring them or he doesn't want to admit to himself that is infront of them because he doesn't want her to go through what Rose and Dimitri did. I'm glad you loved the kiss, Dri only did that because she hates she didn't get to go to her grandparents funeral when they died. I know it's bad and she does feel guilty going behind his back, but by going to Rose and Dimitri she was able to make sure he could go to the funeral, Shane already knew about the attack and she told Adrian in hopes of getting out of trouble but it didn't work in the end.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. As you can see Adrian isn't trying to keep them apart, he was just trying to make her angry to make the situation worse. I can assure you that once Adrian finds out the truth he will eventually be okay with it and the reasons why have been listed in this chapter, can you find them?**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Adrian did overreact for various reasons, mostly to start a fight to make the situation what it needed to be.**

**The guest that said my story is good but it's draggy, thank you for reviewing anyway even if it was tell me that. All I can say is if you don't like my story then don't read it.**


	76. Chapter 76

**A/N: Just a reminder anything that has been underlined is being spoken in Greek**

**Chapter 76**

Nikolaus POV

Today was the day of my mother's funeral, I didn't know how I was going to make it through it without Dri by my side. I honestly wished things were different so she would have been able to come with me, even having her there beside me after I found out was enough to make me feel better and she wasn't here now. I knew in the past I had been her safety net and right now I wish she could be mine.

I pulled out my phone to call Dri and it wasn't until after I dialled that I realised the time, Dri would most likely be asleep and since it was New Year's Eve she would be hung over as well. I just hoped she wouldn't be that angry with me, I knew she would have worked out why Adrian punished her. Rose had filled me in what the deal was before I left so I would be ready for when Dri took her anger out on me for going to Adrian with my concerns.

_"Hello" _I could tell I woke her up but she did not sound hung over. I had trained with her hung over enough times to know what she sounds like.

"You don't sound hung over, that's a surprise"

_"Glad to know I don't deserve a hello, how are you?"_ now I knew she was angry at me and I instantly regretted going to Adrian about the essay.

"I'm sorry, I really was expecting you to be hung over. I'm getting there, I forgot how much I missed the rest of my family. How's punishment going?" It was true, I honestly missed my family. Especially Yiayia and Kass, Kass was the same age as me and we were in all pretty much the same classes as novices. In fact she had shared with me how she wanted to go back to being a Guardian, she had missed it.

_"Well considering you thought I was hung over it makes wonder what you know but I will deal with you when you get back, why are you ringing me so early?"_

"It's not that early, its late morning, human time though. The funeral is today"

_"That is early, it's holidays for me. Are you going to be alright?"_

"I'm not sure, I wish you could have come with me though"

_"Yes and then dad would have actually had a fit about us"_

"Don't be like that Dri, Adrian loves you and he has his reasons for forcing you to do the essay"

_"Right the essay"_

"I get it your angry at me"

_"I am but as I said, I will deal with you when you get back. You know if things were different I would be there with you" _I could tell she was angry with me and I didn't know what was going to happen when I went back, if I went back. It was then I heard the door open and close behind me.

"I know, look I have to go"

I didn't exactly hear what Dri said but I heard her say something and I did feel bad for hanging up on her. I turned around to find Kass standing there behind me and she had a huge smile on her face.

"What's that look for?"

"Because my dear Nicky, I now know this girls name. Her name is Dri" I had given in and told them I was in love with my student just not Dri's name since there was no way I could lie to my grandmother.

"Don't start on this Kass, not today" I turned around and looked back out on the ocean. I grew up on one of the smaller Greek islands having to fly out every year for school but this was home and I honestly missed it, I missed the heat and the sun. It didn't matter if it was the middle of winter, this was a hell of a lot warmer than being back in Montana.

"I'm sorry but you have to know we're all so happy you've found someone to love after everything you've been through" Kass walked over and stood beside me.

"Kass I know you want to go back to being a Guardian but would you hate me if I don't, what if I just stayed out here?"

"No of course not Nicky, you've lost your brother and your mother because of this world we were forced to grow up in. We both know Athena only went back to being a Guardian after you graduated, she had nothing else to do"

"I know but still the idea is floating around in my head"

"Even though the Guardians know you're here"

"You will all protect me"

"Because we're family Nicky but what about this girl, what about Dri? Can you honestly leave her?" Kass had me, I had no idea if I could leave Dri. Even during the summer when I was given the option of where I wanted to be placed I chose St Vladimir's so I could stay close to Dri. I could have been moved to Court and have somewhat of a normal life there, I could have been with some friends and made new ones.

"No clue Kass"

"Does she feel the same for you?"

"Kass don't start on this again, you know why I won't tell you anything"

"Oh come on Nicky you know I won't tell the others"

"No but you were also the one that saw the message on Lys' phone and went around telling everyone I had a girlfriend"

"Oh right that was me…"

"Exactly, come on we should go before Yiayia comes looking for us"

It had been a while since the funeral but it still felt like it was yesterday, it still hurt knowing my mother was dead and wouldn't be walking out the backdoor to force me inside like she did when I was younger or even bug me about finding a nice girl.

I placed my mug on the table before leaning back on the chair and stare at the sky, I had spent more time outside while being back home then I have inside with my family. They all knew I was out and they all did come out and see me when they could around their own lives and my grandmother was the one that bugged me the most about what I was going to do next.

"You've spent an awful amount of time outside Nicky" I turned my head and found my grandmother making her way towards me.

"Yes well I also spend an awful amount of in the dark back at St Vladimir's, I've missed the sun"

"Don't you do any night shifts?"

"Only about once a week, remember I have those sessions with my student"

"Ah yes the young girl who you have fallen in love with Nicky"

"Don't start this again Yiayia"

"Why not?" my grandmother hit my feet to get them off the table before taking a seat beside.

"Because I won't tell you anything, where did Kass go?"

"Took Lycus to the park, you should have gone with them"

"I'm quite happy here Yiayia"

"I don't believe that for a second"

"Why not?"

"All you've done is sit in that chair and stare out at the ocean, you've barely spent any time with your family"

"That would be because after the funeral everyone went back to their lives"

"Why don't you go back to yours Nicky?"

"I don't want too, I don't want to lose anyone else. If I stay here I can help protect you all"

"Wouldn't you staying here put you at risk of losing that girl you love? We don't need your protection, we can look after ourselves"

"How do you know I haven't already lost her? What makes you think she is mine to begin with, for all you know she has a boyfriend that she is deeply in love with" I turned away from my grandmother and looked out on the ocean, she was right I had spent an awful amount of time out here away from my cousins.

"Then she would be an idiot to not see how great you are, if you aren't going to join Kass and Lycus at the park at least go visit Kat or Lys, at least get out of this house. The last time you were here your nieces and nephews were all little kids, you barely saw them before they went back to school"

"You could just kick me out Yiayia"

"Fine, get out of my house and don't come back until sunset"

"There was that so hard" I did as she wanted and left the house, having no idea what to do. I couldn't visit Kat and Lys like she suggested since they were probably at work so that meant joining Kass and Lycus at the park.

I forgot how small this town was with everyone greeting me on my way to the park, some people giving me their condolences again for the loss of my mother. I had heard enough of them at the funeral but I suppose it just showed how close this town was, everyone knew who my family was because of my grandmother. She was one of those people everyone knew for some strange reason.

"Uncle Nicky!" I could help but smile at Lycus, he reminded me too much of what I remembered Kostas to look like or even act and as much as it hurt I was glad he was there.

"Hey buddy, you having fun?"

"No mummy keeps fussing over me"

"She only worries, it's what they're meant to do. Where is she?"

"Oh…" I watched as he looked around in search of Kass and couldn't help but laugh when he turned back and looked at me with a confused look on his face.

"I see, you lost her"

"Maybe"

"LYCUS! There you are, what did I tell you about running off. Oh Nicky funny seeing you down here"

"Yiayia kicked me out and I'm not allowed back until sunset"

"Of course she did, come on Lycus uncle Nicky can play with you"

"Only because you're two lazy Kass"

"I could still take you in a fight"

"I would love to see you try" I smirked at her and she grinned back at me

"Mummy can I have a sister so I can have someone to fight with like you and uncle Nicky?" Lycus had seen one too many arguments between Kass and myself.

Kass and I always fought, it was the way it was between us. Both my mother and grandmother said it was because we were raised together and we acted like brother and sister instead of cousins, it's why the two of us were as close as we were compared to the rest of our cousins, well that and the age gap between us and them.

I couldn't help but laugh at the look on Kass' face, she loved Lycus I could see that much but she hated that her future was taken away from her like it was and she wouldn't give him up for the world.

"Maybe one day sweetie, or maybe uncle Nicky here could get someone pregnant and you would have a sister that way" Kass smirked at me and I glared at her, we both knew it wouldn't happen and she was messing with me but it still wasn't right.

"Oh please uncle Nicky, I would love you forever and ever and I will treat like she deserves it"

"I hate you Kass"

"No you don't Nicky, Lycus why don't you go and play on the playground and don't run off again"

"Yes mummy"

"You really had to say that, you and I both know I will probably never have children" I turned to her as soon as Lycus was out of earshot.

"I know but still, have you decided if you're going back to St Vladimir's?"

"Nope but my plane tickets turned up the other day, I can't believe I was given this long off"

"Why were you?"

"Friends in high places or more so Dri has friends in high places. She is practically related to the queen"

"Surely she must feel something towards you to organise that for you"

"I don't even know if she did, it could be more the friends felt sorry for me. I've told you Dri hasn't been in this world for long, she hasn't lost anyone because of our world"

"Yes but she has been affected by it, she was kidnapped because her blood was special" Kass was the only one aside from my mother that knows the extent of why Dri was kidnapped, I loved my family I truly did but I didn't want to have to trust them with this. It didn't matter if Kass told them all about my message that was different, this is serious and she knows the difference.

"I know but still, I don't think she knows how to feel or what to say"

"I'm sure it will be fine, Nicky she would have to be crazy to know how much of a great guy you are"

"Are you sure I just can't stay here and help raise Lycus with you? It's the closest I will ever get to having children"

"Maybe she is that special she can give you children?"

"Again Kass you don't even know if she feels the same" Kass turned and looked at me with a knowing smile.

"I have a feeling you are keeping information about her from us because you know she feels the same" I didn't say anything to her in reply, I hated that she knew me so well. Instead I turned and watched Lycus on the swings. "You should go back Nicky, go back to Dri and have a shot at a life you deserve. You and I both know you have been so much happier working at the academy and it isn't because of Dri, I noticed it after your first year there"

"Kass"

"Don't Nicky, I don't need your help here. I can raise Lycus on my own, Yiayia helps when needed and everyone else is willing to help out as well because we're family. It's why Yiayia kicked you out earlier, as much as we all want you to stay here so we can be a family we all want you to go back to your life because strangely enough you are happy guarding the academy"

"You know too much Kass"

"Don't be like that Nicky" She laughed in reply.

We were both silent after that, but she was right. I was happier at St Vladimir's then I was guarding a Moroi, I don't know if it was because my Moroi was a dick or if I prefer this and having a shot at a somewhat normal life. It made me wonder if I could have that with Dri, could we both be placed at the same place and be together or would we be spilt up.

All I knew is I didn't want to lose Dri, I made up my mind then and there to go back so I didn't lose her. It didn't matter if we couldn't have a life together until she graduates and even then I had no idea if we would be able to stay together. What if she got placed with one of her friends and they moved to the other side of the country or what if she got placed with some unknown Moroi and they moved to a different country?

At that moment I had so many questions pop into my head and they wouldn't be answered for months and I knew then and there I would spend months trying to get the answers without letting Dri know about them. If I could get by the next few months without her questioning about us and a possible future but that was if she even had the questions.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked Adrian's parenting technique, I was a little worried how it was going to come across since it is such a weird punishment. Yes Nikolaus did in fact needed to hear Dri's voice, it was even stated in this chapter. I was trying to work out in my head if I could come up with a way for it to work but in the end I couldn't and I had to send him off on his own.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Adrian can be a dick sometimes.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you spotted the reasons for Adrian being accepting the relationship. I'm glad you love my story it means a lot to hear that! Don't stress Nikolaus will come back eventually, he just doesn't want to after losing his mother but all he needed was some convincing from his family. I want Dri to follow in Rose's footsteps because Dri looks up to her but I also don't want to replicate a lot of the stuff that Rose went through.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As I said in the private message your review meant a lot to me. Don't worry Dri will eventually forgive Adrian for what he did.**


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter 77**

Adrianna POV

I stood there leaning against one of the buildings at St Vladimir's, I had my phone pressed to my ear hoping Nikolaus would answer. I hadn't spoken to him since New Year's and that was almost two weeks ago, I just hoped I didn't say anything wrong or maybe he just needed space. In the end it went to voice mail and I hung up, what's the point in leaving a voice mail when he's going to get a notification that I rang. It didn't matter if I was annoyed that he went to my dad about my assignment, I was worried about him either way.

"No answer?" I jumped at the sound of James' voice, technically I was meant to be in fourth period but I used the excuse of needing to use the bathroom in hopes of being able to talk to Nikolaus.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Needed air"

"Right, more like stalking. Seriously"

"I left a book in my dorm, I saw you hiding here behind the corner"

"You're peeping in my head again"

"I'm not actually, I saw the phone in your hands and the disappoint that crossed your face when you pulled it away. I only know one person that you are missing at the moment and you have no idea when or if he's coming back"

James was right, I was missing Nikolaus and I hated not knowing if it he was coming back or not and if he was, when was he? The first week back here my sessions were cancelled, Alberta said something about shuffling schedules. It confused me since in the past it was whoever was available but it wasn't still they started up again this week and every single session so far had been with Alberta, she wanted to see where I was at personally. It made me wonder if this would have happened if Nikolaus was here either way.

"I hate not knowing anything, I can't even ask Alberta since I'm not meant to care"

"Can't you ask Rose or Dimitri?"

"All they said was that they pulled as many as strings as they could so he could spend as much time as possible with his family"

"Which is how long?"

"No clue" I banged my head back against the wall

"Come on let's go back to class, talk to Emily at lunch she will make you feel better"

"She doesn't even know the half of what is bothering me, they all keep asking me where he is but I can't tell them anything. The only reason you know the truth of where he is, is because you pulled it from my head"

"I know and I hate that I pulled that memory out, that one where I saw him so vulnerable that he was willing to let _only you_ see him at his worst"

"I'm going back to class James" I didn't look at him as I spoke, I pushed myself off the wall and headed back to class knowing my bathroom break was longer then needed and I was going to get in trouble for it.

The teacher barely looked my way as I entered the classroom, everyone was working in groups and I just hope Emily accounted me into when making the group. I walked over and sat down, she gave me a smile while Sarah explained what we were having to do.

I felt Emily nudge me and I looked over at her but all she did was look down at the notebook in her hands.

_We'll sitting away from everyone else at lunch _

I nodded in response knowing I couldn't get away from it, Emily knew something was bothering and the fact that I was gone longer than normal for the bathroom break didn't help.

Lunch came around like Emily said we sat away from the rest of our friends, a couple of them looked in our direction but Stefan was the one to regain their attention, it made me believe that maybe Emily told him that we needed the space.

"What's going on Dri?"

"I don't know what you are on about Em"

"Something's bothering you and I know you didn't use the bathroom fourth period because you went on the way to fourth period" crap, I forgot about that.

"I'm still annoyed you all think I was sabotaging my changes at graduating by not doing my essay, I did my essay"

"I know and we got our marks back this morning, how did you do"

"You really don't want to know" I ended up getting a 95, it would have been more if I didn't get two different theories confused.

"Which means either you did really well really badly"

"Well considering I was forced to stay at home and do it what do you think?"

"I get what your dad did wasn't right but it doesn't mean you can take it out on us. Dri we all saw you when you returned after being kidnapped, you were a mess"

"I know I was and now I'm better, I promise. Em I want to graduate with you and the rest of our friends, at the moment the only standing in my way as to that is if Alberta lets me participate in field experience"

"Dri why do I not believe that? You haven't seen therapist since we've been back"

"I don't have my nightmares anymore, I promise you that. I don't know why they went away but they did" it was true, once I was back at Court my nightmares stopped. Maybe I just needed time to deal with what happened to me I'm not too sure either way I know it's not because I pushed the memories aside.

Every time Matt looks at me I noticed his eyes flick down to my neck to see if I had been bitten again and I hate that I've put that kind of worry in my brother. I still have memories of being bitten and I remember the feeling of it and there are times where I wish I had that feeling again but I can't, I need to get past it.

"Alright but we worry about you Dri"

"Again it lets me know you have all been talking about me behind my back"

"And I'm sorry but as I said we're worried"

"I know but I promise you I'm fine, there is no need to worry"

"Then if you're fine you should go talk to your dad tonight after dinner"

"Are you serious, surely you can't expect me to not be mad at him" I hadn't spoken to dad since just before returning to St Vladimir's, I was still annoyed at what he did.

"He's your dad Dri, you can't be mad at him forever"

"This is insane, I swear if it wasn't just the two of us I would have thought it was an intervention"

"You're my best friend, I worry about you. I hate that so much has happened to you in the last twelve months"

"I know I hate it too" I whispered looking down at my plate.

"Hey it will be fine, who knows maybe things will look up for you. Maybe Nikolaus will finally see you for you and he will fall for you like you have him" I couldn't help but laugh at her

"Yeah maybe, he has to return first"

"Yeah where is he?"

"No clue, Alberta won't tell me anything" I shrugged at her hoping more than anything that she will believe me.

"Alright come on let's go join our friends for the last of our lunch break" I stood up and followed Emily to the table where our friends were sitting.

I took Emily's advice and decided to go visit dad after dinner, I was hoping he would be at dinner so I could talk to him in public but he was missing. I was shocked when I knocked on the door and someone besides dad opened it, it was Rose.

"Rose what are you doing here?"

"Lissa forced me to take a couple of days off so I came to visit Adrian"

"Is he here?"

"Yeah come on" Rose stood aside and allowed me to enter the suite.

"Is Dimitri here as well?"

"Nah, he didn't get time off"

"That's weird, normally you both get time off at the same time"

"He's trying to save it a bit more so he can spend more time at home with his family"

"Speaking of which, do you know when Nikolaus is due back?" I know I should have asked why Rose was saving her holidays but right now I had more concerns

"I don't I'm sorry Dri, we did what we could for him and passed it on to Alberta. It's up to her when he has to be back, we even shifted schedules at Court so we could send extra Guardians here"

"Okay"

"Why are you here?"

"Hoping to talk to dad"

"He'll be thrilled, he hates that you're still mad at him"

"It wasn't right Rose, I can't believe you let him do that!" I glared at her and I noticed her let out a sigh, I still couldn't believe everyone was letting dad do what he did. I didn't even know how much Nikolaus knew about the whole thing and it was bugging me.

"Dri I thought I heard your voice" I hadn't even realise Rose and I weren't walking in further but when dad appeared in the hallway I realised we weren't moving and we were being louder than I thought.

"Yeah" dad turned and motioned with his head for us to follow him into the living room.

"How come you were asking about when Nikolaus is due back?"

"It's weird not having my sessions with him, they're different to the ones Alberta is giving me. It's like she is constantly examining me"

"She might be"

"Look I came to apologise for ignoring you the last couple of weeks"

"It's fine, I understand why you were mad but I explained why I did and I stand by my decision"

"I know, I just wish you would have spoken to me rationally about your concerns"

"I promise I will next time"

"Really? Even when you find out I've done something you don't approve of at all?" I shared a look with Rose and we knew what I was getting at. I just hoped this promise stands when dad eventually finds out about Nikolaus and I and I just hoped he sticks to his promise.

"Yes I promise Dri and Rose is here to make sure I do"

"Very well then"

"Dri, you know I love you and it's why I do things like this. I want to be able to protect you"

"And yet when everyone looks at us it's meant to be the other way round, I'm meant to protect you"

"From Strigoi but I'm meant to protect you from everything else in the world"

"Right and now this has turned into one of those sappy father daughters moments we never have" Rose rolled her eyes at me

"Oh come on Dri I was enjoying this"

"Sure you were"

"Oh come on don't be like"

"Like what?" I smirked at him and he shook his head

"Are you able to stay for a bit?"

"Yeah I don't have that much homework"

"When do your field experience start?" I looked over at Rose

"Well if I participate it is another two weeks away still"

"What do you mean if you participate?"

"I still have no idea if I'm being allowed to participate and it won't be because of my essay, I got it back and I did really well, don't start dad" I looked over him noticing the look he had when he was about to say something. He put his hands up in defence and I flashed him a smile.

"I'm sure you will be, you said that Alberta is taking your sessions. Maybe she just wants to make sure you're at the same level as your classmates"

"But yet I'm the one that has killed a Strigoi"

"You always say it was pure luck"

"Because it was Rose"

"Dri you are going to have to learn one day that it is never luck that allows us to kill them, its skill. You have the skills to kill a Strigoi, Alberta should be able to see that"

I went quiet after that, I didn't want to get into this argument again about how I thought it was pure luck that allowed me to live that day.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! The next chapter begin Dri's senior field experience, what is everyone's predictions, who will she get paired, how will she go, who will Stefan and Emily get paired with?**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and yes Nikolaus would have eventually accepted he couldn't just leave Dri like that, your review actually gave me an idea as to what would have happened if Nikolaus didn't come back and I've put some ideas down but now I'm more focused on this story.**

**Guest**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me and if you could put a name it would be easier for me to reference your review a bit easier. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, as well as meeting more of Nikolaus' family. His POV's do appear every now and then through the story but from here on out most of it will be from Dri's POV now.**

**Jpitt**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes both Nikolaus and Rose knew about the punishment but Nikolaus only found out before he left, he didn't know much about the details just that Adrian did what he did for a reason. It may seem like Dri has let Adrian off the hook too soon but remember Dri went 15 years without Adrian and the family she now has, she isn't going to push them away too easily. She will fight to keep them in her life.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I agree with you about the stories that don't focus on Rose and Dimitri but there are stories out there about their children and I was curious. I also wanted to focus on the Spirit ability since there is so much I can do with it but either way I'm glad you were curious enough to have a read and thrilled that you enjoyed it! As for Adrian hiring someone to protect Dri, she wouldn't allow it. She wouldn't let someone protect her, she wants to be able to protect herself. Oh don't worry I would have killed that Moroi as well, who would do that to a poor innocent defenceless child but one of the Guardians pulled Nikolaus off before it got too far. Don't worry I plenty of stuff planned out for Dri and Nikolaus when he eventually returns that should make everyone happy since there have been a few occasions where readers have asked more fluff between the both.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved Nikolaus' family, I tried to make his family seem close but not close enough that he would give Dri up for them completely. As for Kass' prediction, who knows? I'm still working with many possibilities as to what Dri could actually do due to the Spirit in her blood. There is a few chapters coming up that will cover some more possibilities so hold tight until then. As for Dri and Nikolaus' postings once Dri graduates, again I'm working different possibilities but you are right if they were together it would give them an almost normal life, which is what Dri wants and it gets talked about more in future chapters.**


	78. Chapter 78

**Chapter 78**

Adrianna POV

Senior field experience was starting tomorrow and I still haven't received word from Nikolaus since the morning after the New Years Eve party when he rang me just to talk. I still don't know what to do around him but I was going try and I was going to keep in mind what James said, Nikolaus trusted me enough to tell me what happened and it should have been obvious he wanted me to be there for him.

My phone beeped and just thinking it would any one of the other senior novices wanting to talk about tomorrow, I ignored it. I didn't want to talk about tomorrow, I didn't want to think about what would happen tomorrow. I knew I was being allowed to participate since Alberta herself had been taking most of my sessions, she said on numerous occasions it was because no one else was available where as I believed it was because she wanted to see where I was at in terms of where she believed I should be at.

An hour later I had another message come through, I checked it and saw I had two messages from Nikolaus.

_I thought you would like to know I was back._

_You can't be that mad at me that you are ignoring my messages._

I didn't reply to that message, I knew he had to be hurting that he lost his mother and I would be there for him if that's what he wanted but I was annoyed, if he didn't go to dad with worry about my essay then my Christmas break wouldn't be as bad as it was and plus he was the one ignoring my phone calls while he was away.

It was way past curfew and I was struggling to sleep and I had no idea why, giving up trying to sleep I sat up grabbed my phone and my jacket and headed outside. Before I snuck past the dorm matron I pulled out my phone and sent Nikolaus a message.

_Want to play hide and seek?_

I snuck past the dorm matron and headed to my usual spot in the clearing but Nikolaus was already there, I frowned at the sight of him waiting for me.

"If you wanted to beat me, you shouldn't have sent the message"

"You're working security"

"I am" I took a seat on the bench ignoring him, it didn't take long for him to sit down beside me. "Are you really that mad at me?"

"You went to my dad! Why would you go to him about something that doesn't concern him?"

"I was worried you were sabotaging your chances of graduating with your friends"

"Why does everyone think that?" all the anger was gone from my voice as I pulled my knees up and rested my chin on them

"I don't know about them but I'm worried, I saw you when we found you and after everything came out. You refused to get your tattoo, the only reason you did in the end was because I organised a shopping trip for you"

"Don't you think if I was really self-sabotaging I wouldn't have done the essay at all?"

"Dri"

"Don't Nikolaus"

"Fine, how have your nightmares been?"

"Gone, haven't had one since Christmas break started"

"I'm assuming since they're gone you haven't gone back to see the psychologist?"

"Nope why would I? She obviously did her job" I never wanted to see the psychologist but the look on his face when he told me how worried he was about me was enough to agree to the sessions even then I barely opened up, was it all just coincidence or did me really talking about everything help them go away.

"Alright if you think so, I heard you got a 95 on the essay you are so annoyed at everyone for forcing you to do" I turned back and looked out ahead of us, somehow it has come back to that stupid essay again.

"It would have been 100 if I didn't mix up Traxen and Traxer's theories"

"You know that's the highest score anyone has received in years, you can get the grades if you put your mind to it. You should stop letting your grades slip"

"We aren't going to talk about this"

"Then you can go back to your room, you should be sleeping instead of out here in the cold"

I turned my head and looked at him. "How was the funeral?"

"Hard but I got through it, I'm sorry I hung up on you"

"Its fine, I'm sure you had more important things to do instead of talking to me"

"That's not true Dri"

"Seemed like it since you were ignoring my calls"

"I wasn't doing it on purpose, I just..."

"Just what?"

"Do you remember when you asked me if I ever thought about running away from this world and blending in with the humans?"

"Yeah but you said you wouldn't because you would lose contact with your mum, why?"

"Have you ever thought about running away?"

"I don't think I have too, I think everyone understands if I decide against becoming a Guardian. Why are you asking this?"

"Because I was so close to not coming back, I was tempted to just stay out there with my family. My family are all females so they stay at home, my mother was the only one that went back to being a Guardian because the loss of my brother was too much" I stared at him not knowing what to say, I don't know what would have happened if he didn't come back. He made it possible for me to participate in the field experience tomorrow.

He must have realised why I was quiet and staring at him, I noticed his hand twitch, almost like he wanted to reach out to me but we both knew it was a risk.

"Hey don't be like that, you're the reason I came back. I came back so I could be with you"

"What about the whole teacher student thing"

"After losing my mother I realised I shouldn't push relationships aside because of what could happen"

"What about the whole not knowing we're I'm going to be after I graduate?"

"I have a feeling you will either guard one of your Moroi friends or stick to Court, both James and Jeremy are royals but James will get a choice before Jeremy because of his Spirit ability, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets given three Guardians if they're available"

"I have no idea what I'm going to do, no one might not even want me"

"You won't know until you graduate Dri, come on you should get some sleep. You have a long day tomorrow"

"Did you mean what you said about coming back so you could be with me?"

"Of course Dri, I love you and I've already decided I can't leave you alone" I quickly looked around and noticed that no one was visible, I leaned over and softly kissed him.

"I love you too" I said when I pulled back with a smile on my face

"Come on, I'll walk you back so you can get some sleep. I mean it when I say you'll have a hard day"

"Do you know who I'm getting paired with?"

"I only got back today, I didn't even know you were participating until I spoke with Petrov. I'm sorry if your partner was the last thing on my mind"

"Its fine, I'm just curious as to who I'm going to be stuck with for six weeks. Hopefully it's James, ooo maybe Jeremy?" I looked over at him with a smirk on my face and he frowned at me

"God I hope it's not Jeremy, what if he tries to win you back?"

"Are you really that worried about my friendship with Jeremy?" I watched as he turned his head and looked out across grounds.

"Come on, I should get you back" he stood up and waited for me to join him but I didn't, I just stayed on the bench

"Nikolaus" he let out a sigh before sitting back down

"Yes I am worried, he was the first guy you were interested in actually dating in the three years you were here. You would most likely still be with him if he didn't cheat on you"

"I can assure you, you don't have to be worried about him. I have moved on, I'm in love with you. I want you not him and please don't follow this up with the whole I'm your teacher and blah blah blah" I looked over at him and noticed the small smile on his face

"I already said I'm not going to push you away because of it but I also don't think we should be public about anything, keep it to who currently knows"

"I know, it makes sense, you know dad is going to lose once he pieces everything together"

"As long as his punches don't hurt as much as Dimitri's I should be fine, come on I really should get back to my shift and you need to sleep"

"Oh god your shift" my mouth fell opened, I completely forgot he was working. Normally when he was working security we only talk for a couple of minutes if it's needed before I sneak back in

"It's alright, I'm not working on the borders tonight. I'm doing campus control, rounding up stray students and breaking up parties"

I walked back to the dorm with Nikolaus in silence, I didn't know what else to say. I knew from previous conversations he was worried about Jeremy but I didn't think he still was and him actually saying he wanted to try and make things work between us made things different, beforehand I knew I loved him and he loved me but as for what we were going to do with it, I had no clue. Whereas now, I still had no clue just a bit more of a general idea that we both wanted this to work.

The feeling of not being able to sleep stayed with me all night, the only thing I could think of was nerves for how the field experience would play out. I went through the basic motions of my morning, I almost went to the gym for my morning session when I remembered that they have been cancelled for the next six weeks. When I arrived at breakfast the cafeteria was a buzz, the excitement amongst the seniors was high. The novices were excited for their field experience and the Moroi were curious as to who was going to be paired with whom.

It wasn't until we were away from the Moroi and in our own gym that it seemed like everyone else was nervous, the rumour about Stephanie Collins failing last year had ruffled feathers since she was the one novice everyone believed wouldn't fail, so no one knew what to expect over the next six weeks. Everyone was having silent conversations with the people sitting next to them, I was sitting beside Emily while Stefan was on her other side. I wasn't saying anything, the next six weeks was my chance to prove that my upbringing won't affect my ability to protect someone.

It wasn't until Alberta stood up that everyone fell silent. "All right, you all know why you are here" everyone was so quiet that her voice rang through the gym and the tension was so thick. "This is the most important day of your education before you take your final trials. Today you will find out which Moroi you've been placed with. Last week you were given a booklet with the full details of how the next six weeks will play out. I trust you've all read it by now"

I had no choice in the matter, Emily, Stefan and Carter all forced me to sit down with them in the lounge while we went through it together. My friends might not have said anything else about my self-sabotaging but I knew they were still worried.

"Just to recap I will highlight the main rules of this exercise. You will be on duty six days a week, you will accompany your Moroi everywhere, to class, to their dorms, to their feedings. It's up to you how you will fit into their lives, remember some Moroi prefer you too stick to the background while others will treat you like friends. Talk to your Moroi and work out what will work best for you both to help protect them, I know some of your Moroi are participating in defensive classes or offensive elemental classes but this is an exercise to see what you know not what they know. Please remind your Moroi that they are not to get involved in the attack, they have to let you protect them" that would probably be what I struggled with the most, most of the guardian Moroi pairings I saw involved them getting along. I didn't see many guardians stay to the back ground unless it was around Court or the academy and they stayed on the edges of a room out of the way because it was easier since they were being forced to be there.

"Attacks may come at anytime, anywhere, and we'll be dressed in all black when it happens. You should always be on your guard, remember, even though you'll obviously know it's us doing the attacking not real Strigoi you should respond as though your lives are in danger" I had faced a Strigoi and my life had been in danger, I don't know if I could replicate that for a situation where I wouldn't be killed

"Don't be afraid of hurting us, some of you I'm sure won't have any issues about getting back at us" it was then that the tension slowly lifted and some of the novices laughed at this or turned to their friends and whispered something. "Don't worry about holding back, you will get in more trouble if we know you are holding back. We can take the hits so give us your all"

Alberta flipped to the next page. "You will be on duty twenty-four hours a day for your six-day cycles, but you may sleep during daylight when your Moroi does. Just be aware that although Strigoi attacks are rare in daylight, it doesn't mean you will be safe during these times. Attacks can still happen, whether you are indoors or outside and other forces can attack you" I swear at this point everyone in the room turned and looked at me, all the novices had found out I was kidnapped by humans and dhampirs during daylight hours.

"Now that the business is out of the way, the moment you have all been waiting for. I'm going to call out your names one by one and announce who you're paired with. At that time, come down here to the floor and Guardian Bishop will give you a packet containing information your Moroi's schedule, past, magic ability and so on" all the novices began whispering as Alberta put the clipboard down and picked up other sheets of paper. I honestly hoped I got paired with someone I liked, I didn't want to have a bad time for the next six weeks and I knew my friends were the same.

"Emily Ayles paired with Malissa Szelsky" Emily got up and headed down to collect her package, there wasn't anything wrong with Malissa in fact she was a nice girl, it was whoever that got paired with her twin sister is what worried Emily, her and her sister Daniella were incredibly close and this exercise wouldn't separate them, no matter who the other guardian was.

I sat there listening out for the rest of my friends name but it was when I heard my own name I was shocked. "Adrianna Ivashkov paired with Jeremy Ozera"

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! I know I haven't updated two days in a row but thank it to the six reviews I woke up to this morning, it gave me the motivation to keep writing so thank you!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Don't worry about your rant, I think knowing what people believe but sometimes a rant is the best way to get your thoughts out. As for why I'm making them worry about Dri, you're right Dri did decide to attend the academy and try to be a Guardian but without the knowledge of what it means. Everyone was afraid that her being kidnapped and witnessing what could go wrong in their world was enough for her to give up all her hard work she's put in to become a Guardian.**

**Guest****: the one spoke about not having Rose and Dimitri moments. Thank you for reviewing, I understand how you want those moments, I love seeing those moments in other stories but I put them in when I can. Rose and Dimitri aren't big characters in this story and it's even harder with them being at Court while Dri is at the academy.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. A good story always has a romance, whether or not it is the main focus. Spirit is very interesting and I have had so much fun writing about it, I can't wait for you to see my future plans with it. As you can see Dri did get paired with a guy, Jeremy to be exact and Nikolaus' reaction will come soon enough. I hope their reunion was what you wanted.**

****** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I love reading that someone has gotten hooked to my story, it means a lot. I'm glad you told me what you think is planned for their future, I like hearing people's theories about my story so stay tuned to find out what I've got planned for them.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Actually Nikolaus was ignoring her calls on purpose, he was trying to work out whether or not he was going to come back. The last two chapters are kind of running on the same time frame, it's a bit weird but either way people enjoyed it and this chapter helped show that since Nikolaus said he only just got back and the previous chapter was two weeks ago. James is learning how to control them, Adrian is helping him with it and the fact that Dri lets it slide when he peeks into her head is helping as well. It's giving James someone he can practise with. Emily is really cute and I love the friendship her and Dri have. As for why Dimitri is saving his holidays, I have no real reason. I just needed a reason for him to not be there at the academy.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As always I'm glad you are enjoying my story.**


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter 79**

Adrianna POV

"Adrianna Ivashkov paired with Jeremy Ozera" I was shocked but couldn't complain, Carter got paired with Kevin Zelkos, a royal who was a pain in my ass. I stood up and headed down to collect the package to read through on the information about Jeremy, most of it I knew. I just wish Nikolaus was in here so I could see his reaction to the pairing.

While reading through what I didn't know of the package, I listened out for the rest of my friends as to who they got paired with. Sarah was paired with Daniella Szelksy, meaning her and Emily would pretty much the next six weeks together. It wasn't until I heard that Lindsay was paired with Belle that I was shocked, I knew being paired with Jeremy meant I would be spending a lot of time with Belle. This is also meant I was spending a lot of time with Lindsay, I was now worried about the next few weeks. Hearing that Stefan was paired with Lucas made it a bit better, at least I would get to suffer with Stefan.

The whole time I was listening I didn't hear James' name, I was curious. I knew there weren't as many as senior novices as there were senior Moroi but I would have thought James would have been paired with someone considering that even though it was only graded for the novices it was a test for the Moroi as well. It was a test to see how they preferred to work with Guardians, James would defiantly get given Guardians once we graduate. I knew I didn't have time to question it, our directions were to read through the packages and pack a bag before meeting up with our Moroi at lunch, I knew that Jeremy, James, Lucas and Belle would all be sitting together so they could find out who was paired with who.

I had already packed a bag since I couldn't sleep last night, I knew my friends had left and headed back to their dorm to pack their bags. While other novices lingered and showed off about who got paired with who. I didn't want to talk to any of them, we all knew who the Moroi's were. Anything we didn't know we didn't know for a reason. Instead I slowly made my way back my dorm to collect my bag before waiting for my friends to join me so we could head over together.

I watched as I noticed all the seniors come and go, some waving and sending smiles my way. I watched as Emily left with Sarah, I knew the only time I would get a chance to talk to Emily was if Jeremy and Malissa shared classes.

Stefan finally appeared and made his way over to me. "So how are we going to cope with spending six weeks with Lindsay?"

"I've got no idea but let's leave before she spots us, if she can't find Belle maybe she will fail before the thing starts"

"It would make our life easier, come on. It's a shame Emily was paired with Marlissa instead of Belle, it would have been good for us" we left the building and headed towards the cafeteria

"I know, I feel sorry for Carter. Being paired with Kevin though"

"You and I both know that Carter will take it in stride and deal with it, that kid does not have a temper"

"I know" I gave him a small smile

When we made it to the cafeteria we found our Moroi friends sitting at the usual table and I was right about Jeremy, Belle, Lucas and James all being together. We walked over and joined them

"Only two? Who missed out?" Jeremy spoke but I noticed James stayed quiet

"Emily got paired with Marlissa Szelsky and Sarah got her sister Daniella and Carter got paired with Kevin Zelkos"

"What about you two?" Belle spoke

"I got paired with Lucas and Dri got paired with Jeremy but Belle you got paired with..."

"You two seriously couldn't wait for me" I banged my head on the table at the sound of Lindsay's voice

"You have got to be shitting me" I have never heard Belle swear, never. It was obvious she wasn't happy with this pairing.

"Who did James get paired with?"

"No one, I'm going to find out why though"

"How Dri?"

"Dad will know Jer"

"You can stand in the corner Reynolds" Belle smiled while point over to the corner, I knew I loved Belle for a reason.

I looked over at Lindsay and I could tell she wanted to argue this but she couldn't, Belle was her charge and she had to do what she said. I could literally see her internal struggle with the fact that Stefan and I got to stay there while she couldn't

"Maybe this wouldn't be so bad Dri"

"No maybe not Stefan" we both turned and grinned at Belle and she smiled at us. We knew then and there that she was going to make this as difficult as possible for Lindsay.

"Dri are you alright with this pairing?" I turned and looked at Jeremy, I was silent at first. I wasn't too sure how to answer, in theory I wasn't happy because I knew Nikolaus wouldn't be happy but I couldn't tell Jeremy that.

"Of course I am, we're friends. If things were different and we hadn't gone back to being friends, then maybe it would be awkward but honestly the only time things would be awkward is if you try and have sex with some other slut while I'm meant to be with you. So please and I'm begging you, try and reduce your sex life to Sunday nights only" I smirked at him and he laughed

"I'm sorry Dri but I have a booking with Misty tonight" he smirked back at me, everyone knew he was joking but it caused them all to laugh. I really had missed my friendship with Jeremy and I was glad it was back on track.

"You're going to have to cancel that Jeremy or should I say Lord Ozera" he frowned at me, as soon as royals turned 18 they received their lord or lady title. Jeremy turned 18 not long after we returned from Christmas break.

"I'll cancel if it means you don't call me Lord Ozera"

"Done" I held my hand for him to shake it but instead he shook his head at me

"Come on, I have to see the feeders"

"Right and I have to follow..." Jeremy didn't seem to notice my hesitation as he got up and left the table, I shortly followed him staying a couple of steps behind him.

I couldn't stand going anywhere near the feeders room, it was too much even my friends had noticed this and we all began sitting at a table further away from the room. It was even like the Moroi had stopped talking about seeing the feeders in general.

"What's wrong?" I didn't even realise James had followed us

"I don't think I can go in there"

"You know he has to feed"

"And you know why I don't want to go in there"

"I know" James put an arm around my shoulder and I leaned into him

"Ah Miss Ivashkov there you are" I turned around and found Alberta standing there

"Guardian Petrov, I'm sorry but I'm meant to be following Jeremy into the where the feeders are"

"I know I saw the three of you get up and head in this direction, I was hoping to catch you before you left the gym earlier but I didn't get the chance. If you follow me, there is something I need to talk to you about. Mr Lazar if you could inform Lord Ozera that Miss Ivashkov will meet him at his next class"

"Of course, I'll see you then as well Dri" he gave me a smile before continuing to where the feeders were while I followed Alberta into one of the side rooms.

"How are you dealing with everything?"

"Fine, I admit I am a little shocked that James didn't get a partner but I'm sure you have your reasons"

"We do and that's not what I meant. I saw your hesitation to follow Lord Ozera"

"Oh that, I guess I am hesitant about going in there"

"Very well, how about we slightly adjust your rules? You don't have to follow him into see the Feeders but you must wait outside for him"

"That would make me feel a bit better but why am I getting an allowance?"

"You have been through enough these past twelve months, even though we requested you see a psychologist and you did for a small amount of time although there are worries about why you abruptly stopped seeing the therapist but the main reason would be what happened while you were kidnapped. We know you were being fed off and someone explained to us just how addictive it could be, they suggested maybe not forcing you into the see the feeders"

"Rose?"

"Yes, she spoke with me the other day"

"Very well, can I ask why James didn't get paired with a novice?"

"I'm sure if I don't tell you, you will find out some other way. His Spirit ability allows him to feel emotions, even though he may not know if any of us are approaching we are worried that if he does it could be considered cheating. Remember this is a graded experiment"

"I understand and it makes sense, thank you" I nodded at her before leaving the room, I had heard the bell indicating it was time for next period.

I shared most of my afternoon classes with Jeremy so I knew where to find him, I headed towards our Animal Behaviour and Physiology class. When I entered I found Belle, Lucas, Jeremy and James all sitting together while I found Stefan standing at the back of the classroom. I went over and joined him.

"What did Alberta want?"

"She made changes to my rules, I don't have to follow Jeremy into the room where the feeders are. I just can wait outside but I did find out why James didn't get a novice"

"Let me guess, his abilities and the fact this is a graded experience?"

"Yeah Alberta said it could be considered cheating. Do you know if we'll see Emily at all over the next six weeks?"

"Yeah Lucas said both him and Malissa are in the same air magic class, so I will see her then but I don't know about you. You will have to ask Jeremy"

"I will later" after that we went into a comfortable silence, I looked around the room and noticed that there weren't many of novices in this class. I guess before now I never really noticed how many Moroi were in this class.

I followed Jeremy around for the rest of the afternoon and I found out that he only shared one class with Marlissa and it was American Colonial Literature. I had looked at his morning classes and it seemed like I was going to be completely bored following him around but I was excited for his martial arts and elemental control class, I wanted to see what he knew.

We were currently cutting across one of the court yards with Belle and James while Belle forced Lindsay to walk further behind us. I had looked back a couple of times to notice that she wasn't even paying attention, I had overheard her complain to some of her friends about how she wasn't paired with a royal and said it was unfair. I wondered if she was going to slip up and if that was the case, it would affect me as well if she did since Belle and Jeremy were close friends.

I was tuning out the conversation Belle and Jeremy were having about their elemental classes while James paid attention but didn't contribute anything, we all knew that his classes weren't like everyone else's. I was looking around while we were walking and it was then I noticed the quick movements, I followed them and saw the black outfits realising it was the Guardians pretending to be Strigoi. I quickly looked back at Lindsay and noticed she wasn't paying attention, in fact she was on her phone.

"Guys stop" I spoke and they instantly stopped knowing I had seen something, I even hoped that Lindsay was paying enough attention to listen to what I said. I stood in between them and where I saw the Guardians.

I thought I had seen two different Guardians but now I could only see one, I couldn't believe I lost sight of one of them. I kept an eye on the one I could still see and looked around for the other one but it was when I heard scream and turned around to find that Lindsay had been killed that I knew I would have to take out these two by myself.

"Want a hand since she's so hopeless"

"Thanks Stefan" I didn't look at him but pointed out the other Guardian. "Where's Lucas?"

"I left him back there with Emily and Sarah, he's not far" I nodded at him as we both assessed the situation.

The Guardians were coming at us from different sides so we decided to put the Moroi in between us. When they got closer I noticed that Guardian Bishop was closing in on me, I knew Stefan could look after himself so I focused on Bishop and tried to keep an eye on the Moroi behind me.

When Bishop got closer to me he tried circling around to get me away from the Moroi but I wouldn't budge, I hoped if I let him get close enough I could push him away without moving away from them. Bishop threw a punch my way and I dodged it giving me an opening to aim a kick in his ribs, when the kicked made impact I could tell it hurt but he continued coming at me. I wanted to stay on the defensive and look for patterns but I knew it wouldn't work, I had to take the openings I saw and hoped I was able to get the drop on him.

I didn't know how long we had been throwing punches and kicks at each other but I finally found the opening to drop and kick his legs out from underneath allowing me to pin him to the ground and hit him with my blunt stake. "Dead" I spoke and quickly jumped off him and turned around to see how Stefan was going.

Stefan was fighting against Guardian Todd, his own mentor. I knew Stefan would be annoyed if I jumped in to help him, so I grabbed the Moroi and pulled them back from the fight allowing Stefan more room to move, it was only a couple of minutes later that Stefan managed to kill Todd.

I shook my head as Stefan helped Todd up and the two of them were laughing about something.

"Well done you two, I must say I'm impressed with how well you two manage to keep the Moroi in between you both. Now as you Miss Reynolds, I'm severely disappointed in you. You weren't even paying attention to your environment"

"It's not my fault, Mirabelle" I noticed Belle frown at the sound of her full name. "Requested that I stay behind"

"It doesn't matter, you can come with me and we will continue this conversation with Guardian Petrov" Lindsay shot me a glare as her and Guardian Todd walked past us.

"Well done Dri, I can't believe you killed Bishop before I killed Todd"

"At least you didn't get killed, she had no hope. You should go catch up with Lucas before more Guardians come out" Stefan flashed me another smile before running off to where Lucas was standing with Emily and both them had smiles on their faces.

I turned back to my friends and I could tell they were proud of what Stefan and I managed. The first fight of the field experience and Stefan and I both managed to kill the Guardians and come out with bonus points.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes I know it was a little bit obvious about her pairing with Jeremy but the whole point on that pairing was that she was forced to work with Lindsay, I have some ideas about what could happen between them.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes there will be drama due to her pairing with Jeremy. No they aren't going to deny their feelings anymore, I wasn't planning on them doing it forever and the field experience won't help with them spending time together but they will find ways around it.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I can assure you that Dri will not fall for Jeremy again, that is not my plan for my story. As you can see Dri didn't freak out the first time she was attacked.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter, there is a point to her being paired with Jeremy. The Moroi that Emily got paired with won't matter in the story, it was more to show Dri she won't always have her friends or she will have to work with people she won't always like.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Nikolaus came back for Dri, I'm glad you enjoyed the kiss and it made you feel warm and fuzzy. I currently have two ideas running in my head as alternatives to this story, one of them is what would happen if Nikolaus didn't come back after the funeral and what would happen if they did run away but for now they are just ideas, I may post them somewhere down the line. I can assure you that if Dri and Nikolaus get placed with Moroi it won't be the same Moroi's for the same reason Rose and Dimitri both didn't get placed with Lissa. Nikolaus definitely won't enjoy Dri having to spend 6 weeks with Jeremy but it will improve the friendship between Dri and Jeremy.**


	80. Chapter 80

**Chapter 80**

Adrianna POV

It had only been a week and I missed Nikolaus, I missed seeing him during our sessions. It wasn't until the first Sunday when I had finally seen him on our day off.

I had decided to spend the morning away from my friends, as much as I missed Emily I also needed some time by myself. I can't remember the last time I spent this much time with someone, even when I was dating Jeremy I still had time to myself.

I had entered the gym and found it empty, as much as I knew all the seniors would spend time in here to catch up on missed training I also knew they wanted to catch up with the friends they had been forced away from while the rest of the novices rarely trained on a Sunday, it was their day off. Normally it was the day they used to recover from the party the night before.

"I'm surprised you aren't with your friends" I had been lying on the mats, my plan was to get some training in but instead I ended up lying here staring at the ceiling.

"I needed time away from my friends, who knew I would feel so cramped after spending six days straight with Jeremy" I turned my head and watched as Nikolaus walked over and joined me, he was wearing shorts and a top. He must have come here with the idea of getting some training in himself

"How are things with Jeremy?" he laid down beside me, normally he would make sure we weren't touching at all but today he was closer than normal, our arms were grazing each other.

"They were fine at the beginning of the week but then we had sex on Thursday night, they've been awkward since" I just hoped he knew me well enough to know I was joking but when I looked over at him and saw the anger on his face it was then I realised he didn't take it as a joke and I instantly felt bad. "It was a joke, you need to stop worrying about Jeremy but thank you for caring, and everything is fine between us. It's _almost_ like we're back to normal"

"You shouldn't joke about stuff like that"

"Why? I don't even know what this is, is there even anything here preventing me from having sex with Jeremy?"

"Dri"

"No, just last week you said you came back for me but yet nothing's changed. We're still acting like nothing is happening between us while other people are around" I sat up and looked at him

I never liked it when people were quiet for too long, it always meant bad news was coming. "What is meant to change? How is us actually being together going to be a good thing for either of us Dri? I will lose my job and get sent back to Court before you even graduate and if I don't chances are your dad will pull you from here before you can graduate. We both have so much to lose if we make it public knowledge, I came back so I wouldn't lose you but if you want to have sex with Jeremy fine go ahead" there was so much venom in his voice, I almost didn't recognise it.

"I'm sorry, I just hate this situation. I wish it was easier" I laid back on the mats hoping gravity would stop the tears I could feel coming along, I tightly closed my eyes hoping it would help

I felt his hand on my cheek and as much as I wanted to pull away knowing full well anyone could walk in here, at the same time I didn't. "I know Dri, I wish it was easier as well. You will get through the next five weeks and then before you know it, it's time for your final trials" I opened my eyes and found his head hovering above mine.

"What's going to happen after graduation, it's not like we can exactly start dating. Everyone will realise"

"The first step is telling your dad but we should worry about that after you graduate. I heard about your fight against Bishop at the beginning of the week" he moved and laid back beside me, when I looked at him he had a smile on his face.

"What did you hear?"

"How well you did, I'm proud of you Dri. I was worried that your first fight wouldn't go so well"

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you, why would you think that?"

"Because of everything that happened when you were kidnapped, I was worried you would freak out and panic"

"I think it's because I saw them coming, I noticed them and was able to figure out what to do and having Stefan there helped I think, knowing he had my back. It meant everything"

"I'm glad Dri, I really am proud of you for doing well"

"Thanks, have you heard how Emily's doing?"

"I have" we stayed like that on the mats with him telling me how well my friends that I haven't seen much of were doing as well as what was going on with Lindsay.

"Come on you should probably go and find your friends" Nikolaus let go of my hand before standing up.

At some point during our conversation he had grabbed a hold of my hand, I liked the comfort I was getting from him and the fact that I was able to have this time with him.

"Wait I wanted to ask you something" I looked up at him with angelic smile all he did was raise an eyebrow before taking a seat back down beside me.

"What now? I swear I've even told you stuff I shouldn't have about your friends and how they are doing"

"My placement with Jeremy, are you alright with this?"

"No not at all but there is nothing I can do, Dri he was the one you chose over everyone else. What if he tries to win you back?"

"He won't because he isn't trying, he hasn't tried since we became friends again and even if he did try it wouldn't work because I'm in love with you. Why can't you see that?" I sat up and placed my hands on his face

"Dri anyone could walk in"

"I don't care, I don't understand why you can't see I want you and not Jeremy"

"He can give you a normal life"

"How is being compared to a blood whore a normal life?"

"Who's called you that?" the anger flashed through his eyes, I knew it wouldn't end well if he knew Lindsay regularly said it as well as some of the male Moroi

"It doesn't matter who, I'm happier with you"

"Dri"

"Don't Nikolaus, I love you. Please stop worrying about this"

"I have to go Dri" he pulled away from me and got up to leave the gym.

He left leaving me alone in the gym, I honestly didn't know how much more I could say about this topic to make him not worry about the friendship between Jeremy and I. I was worried that one day he was going to make me chose.

It was a few days later and I haven't seen Nikolaus since our discussion in the gym, I was a little worried that he was avoiding me and I couldn't even begin to think about how fix things with him.

"Where are we going now" Lindsay complained and I just wanted to punch her. Belle and Jeremy wanted to go to the library to work on an assignment, they had even stated this but yet as usual Lindsay wasn't paying attention or she wanted to hear herself speak.

"Shut the hell up Reynolds, you're meant to be quiet" Belle chipped back

But it didn't help, all it did was cause her to keep complaining under her breathe. I was almost at my limits, we were only a week into field experience and I already had enough of her and her voice complaining about everything every chance she got.

"It would have been better if I was paired with an actual royal instead of a wannabe" I finally snapped, I grabbed Lindsay's arm and slammed her into the wall pressing my arm against her neck.

"Why won't you shut the hell up? If you haven't realised we don't care about you and you going on and on about how you should have been placed with a royal is pissing us all off. You know there was a reason you weren't placed with a royal"

"You don't know shit Adrianna"

"Are you kidding me?"

"I've been here for less time than you and I'm ahead of you in class, I'm kicking you ass in combat classes and right now you are struggling to get out of this position and I'm not even trying"

"Dri let her go"

"Shut up Jer, this doesn't concern you"

"Dri if you hurt her, you're screwed"

"Don't care, she is already getting on my last nerve"

"Aw is the poor orphan getting annoyed at me or is it more because her own mother didn't want her"

"You don't know a fucking thing" I pressed my arm harder against her neck cutting of her airway

"I do, you grew up in foster care because your mother didn't want you" she managed to choke out but all that managed was for me to pull her away from the wall and throw her on to the ground.

"At least I know who my mother is and my father actually wants me around" I shot back at her. We all knew her Moroi parent was her mother and her father didn't want her, he dumped her at the academy and she has been here ever since.

"You such a fucking bitch Adrianna!" Lindsay yelled at me before jumping up and tackling me down to the ground.

The two of us were rolling around on the ground throwing punches and kicking when we could that I didn't even realise the scene we had caused, or the Guardians that were trying to sneak up on us. Eventually someone pulled me off Lindsay and held me back while someone did the same with Lindsay.

I was trying to fight against whoever had a hold of me but when they spoke I slightly relaxed in their arms. "Dri calm down"

It was Nikolaus' voice and it was then that I smelt the familiar smell that I had recognised long ago belonged to him.

"Alright everyone break it up, go ahead with your day. Anastas if you could escort Miss Ivashkov to my office and if Bishop could escort Miss Reynolds" that was Alberta's voice, I knew then and there we would be in trouble for this and it was worse since I was the one that started it, I pinned her to the wall.

Nikolaus grabbed my arm and pulled me along beside him, I looked up at him hoping he would looked at me but nothing, I couldn't even get a good enough view of his face to pick the emotions, to figure out what he was thinking.

"Who started it" Alberta finally spoke once we were both in her office, Nikolaus was still present as well as Guardian Pendle who was Lindsay's mentor, it didn't surprise me that they were both present.

"Adrianna did, she threw me against the wall" I glared at Lindsay but kept my mouth shut, there was nothing I could say to get out this.

"Anything to say Miss Ivashkov?"

"It's true I threw her against the wall"

"Any particular reason?"

"Her voice was bugging me, she kept complaining about how she should have been placed with a royal instead of Belle. She just wouldn't shut up"

"You still have five weeks working together, why can't you learn to get along for six weeks?"

"Are you kidding me? She regularly calls me a slut, a bitch and a blood whore. Her new one is now calling me a poor orphan"

"You're the one that made the crack about my dad not wanting me!"

"You said my mum didn't want me! You don't fucking know anything"

"I don't care who said what, this is enough. You two have to learn to work together because if I have to see the both of you in my office again I will fail both of you!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" Lindsay yelled and I stayed quiet, I knew I couldn't anger her

"Miss Reynolds I don't care what you have to say on this, my word stays on this. Pendle take Reynolds out of here and deal with her punishment" Lindsay was muttering under her breathe the whole way out with Pendle.

"Adrianna why am I only learning of what she calls you now?" I looked over at Alberta, I knew now this wasn't a typical student teacher conversation. It was like freshman year all over again, she was worried because I was being called a blood whore again.

"What difference would it make? She won't stop, the only reason it doesn't get worse is because she knows I can take her in a fight"

"Adrianna you should have come to one of us"

"Why it's not like anything will change, she will still be here, it won't cause her to stop. Can I leave now?"

"Very well, Anastas she's all yours" Alberta raised a hand and waved me off before going back to paperwork.

"Come on Dri" I stood up and followed Nikolaus out of Alberta's office.

I had no idea where he was taking me, in fact he didn't say a single word the whole way. I knew it would make things worse if I questioned him about where we were going or what was going to happen with my punishment.

When we were in the gym I knew this wasn't going to end well and when he faced me it was even worse, I didn't like the look on his face.

"So she's the one that keeps calling you a blood whore?"

"She has since freshman year, Alberta had to explain what it meant to me after I punched her in face my first day" I walked away from him and towards the punching bags, I didn't want to deal with this right now.

I didn't say anything to him, I just started punching the bag trying to take out the anger I still had towards Lindsay. She was the one saying my own mother didn't want me, she didn't know anything.

"Damn it Dri, I thought you stopped doing this" Nikolaus walked over and grabbed my wrists, he was right. When I first began here he showed me I could take my anger out on the punching bags instead of my classmates but after splitting my knuckles opening too many times he showed me the right way to strap them to prevent it from happening and I had but I didn't this time.

"She said my mum didn't want me, she said she dumped me in foster care because she didn't want me"

"Dri you know that's not true, the fact that she died giving birth to you proves that. She gave her life so you could have one"

"I can't spend the next five weeks working with her if she's going to be like this"

"And what happens if you get placed with a Moroi that has another Guardian that you won't like. This experience forces you to work and rely on other people, whether or not you like them"

"But its Lindsay and five weeks and everyone keeps making exceptions for me. What if I don't get placed with a Moroi?"

"Talk to Belle, maybe she can figure something out. Just please no more fights with Lindsay, you don't want to fail field experience"

"Are you mad at me after our last conversation?"

"No, I hate the situation. I'm mad at what you did today, what you did was stupid and reckless. You don't want to fail field experience, you'll have to repeat senior year. That means another year of this for us and you will be away from your friends, all this hard work you've done so you could graduate with your friends will go down the drain"

"That seems to be punishment enough for what happened"

"Speaking of which, push ups"

"How many?"

"Until I say stop" I glared at him but when he didn't budge, I dropped to floor and begun doing the push ups he required of me.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! I know early on in the story I had made mention to Lindsay having a Moroi father but at the time I didn't have this fight in my head, so I made the switch.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I like hearing what people's predictions for my story, keep them coming.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes she killed her first fake Strigoi, there will be some more coming as well.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It will be hard on Dri having to work with Lindsay but how also teaching her some more self-control and this chapter proved just how much she still has to learn. Yes the novices did a great job this time round, they won't always be perfect like this. Most people do seem to forget that little issue but don't stress I have the future planned out for Dri and Nikolaus and I have worked out their happy ending.**


	81. Chapter 81

**Chapter 81**

Adrianna POV

Field experience was almost finished, all we had was a week left. I thought I had been doing pretty well, I hadn't been killed yet but I had had the Guardians get the jump on me. The first time I had missed a Guardian sneaking up on me and they grabbed me and I panicked, I was just glad Stefan had my back and it was just one Guardian that he was able to take out. Aside from that first incident I was able to prevent them from killing me though.

Whereas my personal struggle of regularly working with Lindsay had started to bug me, a day or two after the fight between Lindsay and myself Belle had begun walking to classes by herself to prevent anything else from happening. She didn't want Lindsay to be the reason I failed my field experience.

I had barely seen Nikolaus over the last few weeks and I missed him, I missed our regular sessions that we had together where I was able to spend time alone with him. I hadn't even come across in fights, I was wondering if he was avoiding me or waiting to get the jump on me. There had been talk between the seniors about how they were anticipating the fight between the two of us since we had been sparring for four years now.

So here we were on the last Sunday of our field experience, most of the seniors were going to one of the parties that was being thrown towards the edges of the grounds where as my friends, well we decided against that party, instead we decided to stay in and hide out in one of the unused lounges in the novice dorm. I looked around at my friends and thought that in a couple of months everything will change, we will be spilt up not knowing where we were going.

"Bullshit!" James yelled at Belle, we were playing a drinking game called Bullshit.

We were all sitting in one big circle, originally it was just going to be myself, Stefan, Emily, Belle, James and Jeremy but Stefan ran into Carter and invited him, Belle invited Lucas and Emily invited Sarah and Amelia but I couldn't talk I had also invited Damien and Daniel, apart from Emily those two were my first friends here. I still regularly spoke with Damien and Daniel since we shared classes but our interests were too different to continue staying in the same group of friends and we understood that.

Belle flipped her cards over and James groaned, Belle was telling the truth. We all laughed as he took the shot and the game continued around the circle.

"Alright I know we all want to discuss this topic, who's going to fail and who is going to come out on top?" all the scores weren't made public but the top 10 novices for the field experience was listed along with their kills and how many times they were killed

"Lindsay will fail" came from pretty much everyone in the room but there was some disagreement as to who was going to come out on top.

Stefan, Carter and Daniel's name were mentioned and that didn't surprise me since they were in the top five along with Toby and Clarke, in fact all year Clarke and Emily had been fighting for that fifth spot. What did surprise me was when a couple of people said my name, I stared at them with my mouth open.

"Oh come on Dri, you have done extremely well in this"

"Carter's right, you haven't been killed"

"Neither has Stefan"

"No but you have been in a fight nearly every day"

"And who else in our year has killed a Strigoi" no one said anything. "Exactly, they're probably picking on me to make sure it wasn't pure luck that allowed me to kill the Strigoi which is stupid considering it was pure luck and plus both Stefan and Carter have been in fights every day as well and I wouldn't be surprised if Clarke and Toby have been as well since they're all top novices, it's got nothing to do with it. I haven't come across Nikolaus yet, chances are if I do this week he will kill me"

"Both Stefan and Emily killed their mentors, why can't you?"

"And Carter and Toby were killed by there while Clarke got pulled out of the fight by another Guardian, I seriously doubt I will be the top novice. 3 kings" I put down my cards hoping to get the game back on track.

"Bullshit" I turned over my 3 kings and grinned at Stefan. "That's not what I meant and you know it"

"Don't care, you said bullshit. Now drink" after much disagreeing by Stefan and everyone else agreeing with me that Stefan had to take the shot, it put the game back on track.

I had just taken a shot after Carter had called me on my bullshit when my phone went off.

_Where is your party tonight?_ I frowned at the message and put my phone away.

"Who was it?" I couldn't exactly say no one, we were all here

"It was dad, he wants to know where _our_ party is. Him and the Guardians must have realised there was a party" I shrugged and looked at James hoping he would have his turn.

"Tell him where the party is, it will be hilarious knowing that their party gets busted while we are all here" Emily had her evil smile on her face, it wasn't long before everyone else agreed.

"Alright fine, I will tell them where the party is"

_The party is in the large clearing in the North East part of the grounds_

After I sent the message I quickly put it on silent and put it face down on the ground. I didn't want to see his reply, he knew it would have been too easy to get the answer from me.

"Done, I can't wait to see what happens. Normally they only suspect where the party is but since they know I have a feeling everyone will get in trouble since they will storm the party from all sides"

Half an hour later I had finally hit my limit of shots and I was resting my head against James when I noticed my phone light up with another message, I already had a couple from Nikolaus but I had been ignoring them.

_That was too easy Dri, where are you really?_

_Dri if you're spending me on a wild goose chase I won't be happy._

_That's why you happily gave up the location of the party, you and you're friends aren't even here. Dri where are you?_

I frowned but quickly typed out a reply. _I can assure you that we are all safe, maybe a little drunk but safe._

_How can I know you are safe?_

_Because we're inside and not outside_

_Tell me where you are_

_Nope you should know I enjoy playing hide and seek_

_Damn it Dri, tell me where you are. You have four Moroi with you and two of them are royals_

_And I told you we were safe where we are_

"Just ignore him Dri" James grabbed my phone from my hands, he knew eventually I would give in to Nikolaus. Him, Emily and Stefan were the only ones that knew I was missing Nikolaus but James was the only one that knew it was because of our weird relationship while Emily and Stefan thought it was because I was in love with him.

"I think we should call it quits since it looks like all the girls are practically asleep" I looked around and noticed Belle asleep with her head resting on Lucas' lap and Emily was doing the same with Stefan while Sarah and Amelia were leaning beside each other asleep.

"I'm fine, just too many shots. Here I'll wake the girls up..." I had planned on yelling but James put a hand over my mouth.

"Don't yell, you'll alert the Guardians as to where we are"

I nodded and he removed his hand from my mouth, it was getting late and we should probably get some sleep. We had no idea if we could successfully sneak the Moroi out but even then we would have been fine if we slept in here, there were enough couches around.

I jumped as a door was slammed opened, I hadn't even realised I had fallen asleep. Looking around I noticed that the boys were still awake, maybe I hadn't been asleep for long but when we looked at the door way we found Guardians standing there, Nikolaus was there along with Todd and Tanner. I shared a look with Stefan and we both knew we were going to be in trouble, in fact all the novices would be for keeping the Moroi out past curfew.

I went to get up and follow my friends out of the lounge but Nikolaus had a different plan. "Stay" he growled at me, I knew then and there I was in trouble.

James quickly handed me my phone before following everyone else out, I assumed one of the Guardians will take the Moroi back while the others will either deal out punishments or request to see them in the morning. Nikolaus stayed back leaning against the wall while I laid back on the ground.

"Dri" he finally spoke once everyone was gone

"I told you we were fine where we were"

"Who came up with the idea of actually staying in the building, we never thought of checking the dorms"

"That's the whole point, our parties have always been out in the grounds but we thought maybe while they have their party we can have our own here"

"How were you going to get the Moroi back to their dorm?"

"No idea, I actually thought we were going to crash in here" I shrugged at him

"Come on you should head back to your room" I shook my head at him, I was actually quite comfortable on the floor, I saw the corner of his lips pull up. He was trying so hard to fight the smile, it was cute.

He walked over to where I was laying and held his hand out, I grabbed it and instead of allowing him to help me up I pulled him down. Him not expecting it he fell but he put his hands out to stop him from completely falling on top of me.

"I've missed you" I whispered and all the anger he had on his face for what happened tonight disappeared. I had missed him, I was used to spending so much time with him due to our sessions but now with field experience they were put on hold in fact I didn't actually know if they would resume once it was finished.

"I've missed you too" he leaned to one side so he could move his hand and brush my hair out of my face. I smiled at him and tilted my head so it was easier to kiss him.

I don't know why tonight was different, he instantly kissed me back deepening the kiss. I knew it wouldn't lead anywhere and I was right when all too soon he pulled away and rolled over so he was lying beside me.

"Why aren't you forcing me back to my room?" I spoke as I moved closer to him and he put an arm around me.

"I've barely seen you for five weeks, as much as you should go back to your room. I don't want you too" he softly kissed my head and pulled me closer and I pressed my face into his chest.

"αγαπώ" I heard him speak as I slowly fell asleep in his arms.

"Anastas" I didn't even hear a phone ring but I heard Nikolaus answer it, I opened my eyes and looked around. We had both fallen asleep in the empty lounge, in fact I'm surprised no one found us in here.

I felt him quickly sit up beside me, I rolled over and looked at him. "Didn't realise" he handed me the phone and it was then I realised, it was my phone. He had answered my phone, only three people would understand and I just hoped it was one of them on the phone. "It's James" he must have realised my worry.

I grabbed the phone and sat up. "What do you want James?"

"Its breakfast, you're meant to be here. Why the hell is he answering your phone?" crap, I'm meant to meet up with Jeremy at breakfast to start the day

"We fell asleep in the lounge"

"Wait you two had sex in the lounge?" he sounded so shocked and I just hoped he was alone

"No we didn't, jeez is that what you really think of me"

"Just quickly shower and get here before breakfast is finished you slut, Jeremy was almost the one that rang you but I got in first"

"You're an ass but thank you" I hung up and looked at Nikolaus. "Why did you let us fall asleep in here, I'm going to be in so much trouble if I don't make it to breakfast in time" I hit him over the arm

"I'm sorry, you had fallen asleep and I was comfortable. You should go shower, I defiantly don't want you to fail your field experience"

"That's because it looks bad on you" I smirked at him before I got up and left the room in a hurry

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! Just a reminder that αγαπώ means I love you in Greek.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Dri can do better than that but Lindsay seems to be one of those people she struggles to keep her cool with. The self-control lessons are a good idea and may come again in the future.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed both chapters as always.**


	82. Chapter 82

**Chapter 82**

Adrianna POV

Field experience had ended a week ago, all the senior novices were standing outside the gym waiting to be allowed in. The Guardians had put up the listing for the top 10 novices but had yet unlocked the door, Clarke and Toby were standing at the front trying to push people out of the way in hopes that if they get there first their names will be at the top, where as I was standing at the back with Stefan and Emily. We wanted to know who the top 10 were but we weren't that eager.

We were finally let it and we all made way to the listing, the reaction from Toby and Clarke made it seem like they weren't at the top so I was curious as to who was.

_Position_

_Novice_

_Kills_

_Killed_

1st

Adrianna Ivashkov

33

0

2nd

Stefan Watson

32

0

3rd

Carter Emerson

32

1

4th

Toby Mills

30

2

5th

Emily Ayles

27

2

6th

Daniel Marbles

26

2

7th

Clarke Wood

30

3

8th

Sarah Zenkle

28

3

9th

Patrick Jenkles

25

3

10th

Bradley Mayfair

27

4

I starred at the sheet, I honestly did not believe my friends when they said I would be at the top and if my last fight had played out differently I could have been second and Stefan would be first or I could be third under Carter.

My last fight was the second last day of field experience, classes had finished for the day and I had been in the library with Jeremy. He needed help on his math work and I agreed to help him, we were heading out to go to dinner and we had ran into Stefan and Lucas on their way out as well. There was such a huge gap between lunch and dinner that when the bell rang indicating dinner everyone rushed out of where ever they were but Lucas always stayed until the last minute and Jeremy and I were in the middle of working on a question.

Three Guardians had ended up coming at us, we worked together to quickly get one of them killed before taking on one each. Stefan gave me the opening to kill the first Guardian, which in turn gave me the higher kill count. If things had played out differently Stefan could have killed the first Guardian. We each took our own Guardian and I had finally come across Nikolaus, I was beginning to wonder if he was avoiding or if it was just pure luck that we hadn't come across each other yet and Stefan was fighting against Todd again.

Stefan had quickly killed Todd and then stood back to watch the fight I was having with Nikolaus, in fact a lot of people had stopped to watch us and no one was getting involved because this was the one fight everyone was talking about. They were all curious as to who would win, we had been sparring for four years now.

We had been circling each other for a while now and I was just hoping it would end so I could get some dinner, Nikolaus had a cut on his eyebrow from one of my punches and I had a sharp pain in my side from a couple of his hits. I finally got the chance to try and drop Nikolaus to the ground, I knew if I didn't take this chance now as soon as we were both on the ground he would use his strength to get me off him, so as I went down I held the blunt training stake out to get him in the heart as I went down.

"Dead" I breathed out, knowing the fight was over my shoulders relaxed and all the pain from hits I had taken hit me at once.

I felt someone grab me and lift me up and I felt a sharp pain in my ribs. "Holy shit that hurts" I complained as I put my hands on my side and doubled over in pain. They put me down and came around so I could see them, Stefan had been the one to grab me off Nikolaus.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you Dri"

"I'm sure she's fine Mr Watson, why don't you head to dinner with Mr Denson and Lord Ozera while I take Miss Ivashkov to the hospital to get checked out" I looked at Stefan and I could tell he wanted to argue with Nikolaus but in the end he didn't, he left with Lucas and Jeremy. They both looked at me with concern but they knew they couldn't argue with a teacher.

"Come on Dri" Nikolaus spoke as he put his arm around me to take most of my weight and help me walk.

In the end I had three cracked ribs that lasted all of about 45 minutes tops before James went behind my back and healed me when I joined them all at dinner. I remember snapping at him for it but I did feel better.

"If I had of killed Guardian Jordan instead of you I would be first" Stefan's voice pulled me from my memories.

"I can't believe I'm actually first, I seriously thought it would have been either your or Carter"

"Dri!" I spun around to find Emily weaving her way through the group of novices. "You actually came first, well done" she gave me a hug.

"Come on let's head out, I have a feeling Clarke and Toby aren't happy about the results" we all turned around to find Clarke and Toby talking with their friends before they looked our way with glares on their faces.

"Yes I believe that is our cue to leave" Emily looped her arm threw mine and we left the gym.

We ended up leaving the gym and heading towards one of the court yards, classes were over for the day and it wasn't quite dinner time yet.

"Can you believe that in a few months we're going to paired with Moroi to protect"

"You two might be, I still have no idea what they're planning for me" they both looked at me, none of us really talked about what happened after graduation. It was just one of those things all novices understood, you graduate, get placed with Moroi and you spend the rest of your life protecting them and the family they could have.

"What's that meant to mean Dri?"

"I honestly don't know Emily, let's be serious here. Who honestly wants to have a Guardian who has only been a part of this world for four years?"

"Dri are you seriously kidding me right now, you worked your ass off to get those results. You were just ranked the top novice!"

"It doesn't mean someone is going to trust me to protect them, how do they know that one day I'm not going to snap and go back to the humans"

"Dri where is this coming from?"

"I overheard the royals talking yesterday"

"What happened?"

I was silent for a too long and I knew it, I was thinking about what I overheard. All the senior royals minus a couple were sitting in one of the library corners talking about who they thought they wanted from our own novices, most of the names that popped up I expected, Stefan, Carter, Toby, Clarke and even Emily but it wasn't until one royal said that she was going to request to _not_ have me as their Guardian, she was worried that she would wake up one day and I wouldn't be there to protect her. After that most of the other royals agreed with her.

I eventually told Emily and Stefan what I heard, if these royals didn't want me who would? We all knew that dhampirs were in short supply and it was the royals who got first pick and then the non-royals who had money or power. Both Emily and Stefan were angry and I could see it without them even telling me.

"Who the hell said that Dri?'

"Why does it matter? You can't do anything about it and all the royals agreed"

"No, all the royals didn't agree because I know James wouldn't think that and you just spent the last six weeks protecting Jeremy. Belle might not be royal but we all know her family is up there, she will get a guardian for sure, and she will want you"

"Maybe I should just request a placement at Court, I'll be able to have some sort of life. Maybe you two can get placed with Moroi who live at Court and we can see each other" I laid back on the ground and instantly regretted it when the snow soaked into my hair.

"Dri, why don't you prove all those royals wrong? Why don't you go back into the gym grab one of the ranking lists and then walk into the cafeteria for dinner and shove it in their face"

"Emily's right Dri, when have you actually sat back and let people talk shit about you?" I stared at my two best friends, these two knew me better than myself sometimes and it scared me.

Before moving here I didn't exactly have any friends except Jason, I had people I would spend time with so I wouldn't be stuck in the house with the current foster parents but moving here and being accepted so easily by them shocked me. I honestly didn't expect many people to want to be friends with me, I assumed that by now everyone would have their own little groups and I would be pushed aside not wanting to be known but Emily and Stefan proved me wrong, Damien and Daniel wanted to be my friend but after a while we were too different whereas Emily and Stefan, well the three of us had always enjoyed partying during freshman year.

"If you're not getting up and going to get it yourself I will" Emily stood up and threatened me

"You're right, I haven't let the royals talk shit about me before and same with Lindsay. I know she will find some way to spin this" I stood up and rushed off towards the gym.

When I entered the gym it was empty but the few novices training here and there. Most of the freshman stared at me as I walked through it to grab one of the rankings list, I was still a freak show to most of the students and it didn't bother me until they started talking shit about me. Normally if they just stared or asked the bogus questions I was sick of hearing it was fine, most of them were still shocked that a royal had claimed a dhampir child, that same dhampir child grew up among humans and the most shocking thing of all was the fact that I had inherited the trademark emerald green eyes that were _only_ seen on an Ivashkov.

When I walked into the cafeteria for dinner I stopped and looked around for the royals, I found them all sitting at one of the bigger tables and Lindsay was with them. I really do wonder how things would pan out if they knew just how badly she was ranked, they only ranked the top ten to save the lower ranks the humiliation of not being a good enough novice because in this day and age with too many Strigoi out there they didn't send away the novices that had performed badly, there was always something they could do. I walked over to their table and slammed the paper down in front of Emery Tarus

"What's this Ivashkov?"

"The fucking novice ranks, you and all your friends can take the comments about me running back to the humans and shove them up your ass. Take a good look at the rankings, if you notice your good friend Lindsay isn't listed in the top ten. In fact she did so badly in the field experience that I believe she will be ranked last if not failed and you should believe me, she was paired with my Moroi's best friend. But what does surprise me is the fact that the top five ranking Novice's are people you don't give the light of day too" I watched as she looked at the rankings before handing them to her friends, the look on her face was pure disbelief.

"They have to be fake, there's no way..."

"What no way the dhampir who spent most of her life with humans could beat the novices who grew up in this world? You're also forgetting that I'm only the novice who has a Molnija mark"

"She's lying Em, we all know Adrianna isn't that good of a novice" my head snapped around to where Lindsay was sitting at the table

"Are you kidding me Lindsay, you didn't even get ranked!"

"According to your fake rankings"

"They aren't fake, there were heaps of copies in the gym. Just because you're a shit novice that will get stuck with office duty once we graduate doesn't mean you have to continue to go around telling everyone you're better than everyone else"

"Because I am Adrianna, I don't know where you got this idea about being better than you actually are but you should really drop it"

"Are you actually believing this, walk over and ask anyone of the novices and they will tell you how bad she is! Oh right I forgot you asshole royals won't give any us of the time except for her" I pointed at Lindsay

"You're such a jealous bitch Adrianna, just because you don't have royal friends..." I wanted to laugh in Lindsay's face, she actually thought James and Jeremy weren't royals

"Are you fucking kidding me right now, you actually think I don't have royal friends. Not only are you a complete idiot when it comes to classes you are also clueless. James Lazar and Jeremy Ozera or do you need a class in who the royals are?"

"You're such a stuck up bitch Adrianna" I hadn't even see her stand up until she threw herself at me knocking me down to the ground.

All she was able to do was throw one punch at me before she was pulled off me, I was surprised it got that far. Most of the time the Guardians and teachers got involved before our fights resulted in physical violence; this time no one intervened until she threw the first punch.

I saw a hand in front of me and I grabbed it so they could help me up and I'm surprised it was Nikolaus, I hadn't seen him since leaving the hospital after our fight I had been given the week off from sessions but I wanted them back and couldn't wait till Monday. I looked over at Lindsay and she looked pretty smug that she was able to land a punch on me, the only reason I wasn't expecting it was because I was expecting a teacher to intervene before it got that far since we were so close to Moroi, royals at that. Her punch didn't even hurt so I don't know what she was so proud about.

"What seems to be the problem here Miss Ivashkov and Miss Reynolds?" Alberta spoke, I didn't even realise she was in here. I guess that's what happens when I ignore everyone and storm right over to the royal table. I just hoped that her threat from field experience about seeing the two of us fighting again didn't stand anymore, I didn't want to fail after receiving the top spot.

"Guardian Petrov, Adrianna was just showing us the novice rankings. She seemed to think we would be interested in seeing the results" Emery turned and faced Alberta with an innocent face

"Only because you and all your friends said you would request I wouldn't be your Guardian, you all believed that I was just going to up and leave one day!"

"You didn't grow up in this world, how do we know you will be willing to protect us!"

"Because you're a bitch and I wouldn't want to protect you anyway!" I snapped and knew as soon as it came out of my mouth I would get in trouble for it.

"Miss Ivashkov!"

"What she started it, her and her all friends said they wouldn't want me as their Guardian and when I showed them the rankings they didn't believe I was ranked first and then Lindsay tried to tell them I had faked the rankings"

"Lady Tarus" that got me, I didn't realise she had turned 18. "Is this true, did you and your friends say you wouldn't want her as your Guardian?"

"We didn't realise anyone was listening, I'm only worried about mine and my families safety. I'm honestly concerned that one day she will want to go back to the world she grew up in" I knew then and there by the face Emery was giving Alberta that I would most like get in trouble and the blame for this.

"I can assure you and your friends that Miss Ivashkov will make an excellent Guardian, she has proven herself and earned her ranking as the top novice during the field experience"

"Wait those rankings were real and not faked?" she looked shocked before turning and glaring at Lindsay. Alberta picked up the piece of paper and read it over.

"Yes, these are the real rankings that we posted this morning. Well done Miss Ivashkov, Miss Reynolds if you will follow me" Alberta gave me a nod before turning and facing Lindsay who looked completely shocked about the whole thing, I honestly didn't expect to get out of this without any trouble. I'm just grateful that Alberta must have seen something to only want to talk to Lindsay and not both of us.

"I'm sorry Ivashkov for what we said, if you really did earn the top ranking then I'm sure you will make a fine Guardian one day" I stared at Emery, it was just shock after shock today.

"Thanks, I guess" I mumbled out before she walked away, it was then I noticed how many people were looking at the scene I had caused.

"Follow me now" Nikolaus said sternly and I nodded at him before following him out of the cafeteria, I think there go my chances of having any dinner tonight.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! Before anyone makes a comment on the number of kills the novices had, in the previous chapter I made mention to Dri and a few other novices being in fights practically every day and they get Sundays off. Dri has also killed a Strigoi and fought for her life before, the Guardians wanted to make give Dri a harder challenge and the reason as to why Stefan was so close behind her was due to Belle and Jeremy's friendship.**

**Brooke**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoy my story and my updates, please do get around to reviewing. Reviews are what give me motivation and the more reviews I get the more frequent I update.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Nikolaus could have badly fucked up, I was tempted to have Jeremy be the one to ring Dri but in the end I changed my mind because the chapter was getting close to my usual length but you are right, that would have been my excuse for him having her phone or he saw that she had left it in the room after she had left.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I missed writing them when I was writing about Dri's field experience. After graduation, all I can say is that was fun to write so hopefully you enjoy it. As for Adrian reading their auras it is mentioned in a few chapter.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes the fight was bound to happen, it's why I made sure they were forced to work together. As you can see it did not affect Dri's results. I'm glad you liked the scene between Dri and Nikolaus, I wanted them to have a moment like that and slip since they were forced to spend time apart. As yes the lack of sex between Dri and Nikolaus, trust me I would love nothing more then allow them to have sex again but I have reasons behind my madness one of which will be explained soon enough from Nikolaus and the other will come in time. As you can see, they did fight and in front of everyone and both of them actually got injured.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are still enjoying my story so much it means a lot to just see your reviews stating that. Field experience is over and there will be more Nikolaus, it was just hard since it wasn't like Dri could skip out on Jeremy to go meet with Nikolaus.**


	83. Chapter 83

**Chapter 83**

Adrianna POV

I followed Nikolaus out of the cafeteria, I had no idea where he was leading me and neither of us spoke. I didn't know if he would be annoyed because I was over heard yelling at a royal or disappointed that I kept what was said from him, I still wasn't sure what he actually heard in the cafeteria.

It wasn't until we were in one of the unused lounges in the novice dorm that he finally spoke. "Sit" he pointed at the couch.

"But"

"I said sit Dri!" he snapped, I huffed in response before flopping down on the couch and crossing my arms staring at the wall. A lecture was about to follow and he wasn't even going to hear my side.

I felt the couch dip when he took a seat beside me but I refused to look at him. This was bullshit, I couldn't believe he was actually going to lecture me without hearing my side. Had he not heard anything I said to Alberta before he demanded me to follow him?

"Why didn't you tell me what was said?" I was shocked, I actually thought there was a lecture coming instead he was concerned. "What you thought I was going to lecture you" I shrugged still wanting looking at him, he could have said something on the way here instead of making think I was in trouble.

It wasn't until he reached over and placed a hand on my neck and stoked my cheek with his thumb, I finally turned and looked at him. He wasn't even angry, I didn't know what was going to happen now.

"Dri"

"Don't Nikolaus, why did you bring me here?" I pulled away from him and shifted down the couch so I was further away from him, I was really beginning to hate how hard this relationship was. I couldn't wait for graduation and then we can work out what to do from there.

"Why didn't you tell me what they said?"

"What would you have done, you can't go around threatening everyone who says something that upsets me. It's just a part of high school"

"I know I wouldn't have been able to do anything, it doesn't mean you can't tell me these things" he moved closer to me on the couch

"Why, why can't things be as easy as they were last year? You weren't this interested in my life and I didn't have to worry about someone walking in"

"I was in agony watching you be constantly worried about Michael, I was in love with you and I couldn't even tell you, I was trying to be careful around you and there were so many moments when I just wanted to lean over and kiss you. I don't know about you but even though we have to be careful, this is easier" he had his hands placed on my waist and he was rubbing small circles on the skin that was exposed.

"I'm sorry, you know how I feel about all of this"

"I know but we can try and sneak in a few moments here and there" he smiled at me as he stood up, his grip on my waist tightened as he pulled me down so I was lying on the couch and he climbed on top me.

"Really, you are really going to do this when someone could just as easily walk in here"

"I locked the door" he was still smiling as he leaned down to kiss me, I knew it was wrong and that anyone could walk in. It didn't matter if the door was locked but he was the one that had more self-control then me.

It always felt right kissing Nikolaus and it still didn't change now, not months after we shared our first kiss. I instantly fell into the kiss wrapping my arms around his neck, I just hoped he wouldn't pull away but as always he did. He managed to shift the both of us so we were lying on the couch facing each other.

"Why do you always pull away? Why don't we do anything more than kiss?"

"Hey, don't look at me like that" he reached over and caressed my cheek. "I enjoyed the sex, don't get me wrong and I would love to do it again but it's too hard here. Even though the door is locked, someone could manage to get it unlock or the lock is broken. If someone happens to walk in, well I could try and play it off as some school girl crush but it would also be the end to me being your mentor. You will have to make it through the final trials on your own but if they found us having sex well that would not end well for either of us"

"It makes sense, you know I'm missing out on dinner for this"

"Alright then, come on let's get you some dinner and if anyone asks I gave you a lecture and your running stairs in our next session" I pulled a face at him but the smirk on his face made me wonder if he was joking about punishing me.

He got up off the couch and pulled me with him, he pulled me close and wrapped his arms around my waist, leaning in for another kiss. I leaned up on my tip toes and kissed him back knotting my hand in his hair. In the middle of the kiss his hand wandered down from my back and he grabbed my ass. I used my free hand to whack his hand away from my ass, when I pulled away he was grinning at me.

"What?" he tried to sound so innocent

"Come on let's get me some dinner" I pulled out of his arms and headed for the door but for some reason his hand found my ass again, I whacked him again and I caught the grin on his face.

He was doing this on purpose, he was being cheeky on purpose it was annoying but yet adorable. As much as I wanted to tell him to stop I couldn't, he was still upset over losing his mother and I didn't blame him but he was starting to seem happier and I couldn't ruin that for him.

It was a few days later and I was sitting in the corner of the novice lounge with Emily, Stefan and James up until now we were just talking about classes but Stefan quickly changed that.

"So Dri, it's been what 7 or 8 months since you and Nikolaus had sex in Melbourne. Has it happened again?" why did he have to pick the same moment as me taking a drink from my water bottle to ask. I choked on the water and he laughed at me.

"Actually I'm curious as well, you two spend all that time together. Surely something has happened" Emily and Stefan both grinned at me.

"Yes because we both confessed our undying love for each other" I raised an eye brow at them and I looked at James just in time to see the smirk on his face

"Yes because I believe that Nikolaus is actually in love with Dri, the guy is too into his job" thank you James, after I said my comment I was wondering if they would believe me or think I was joking.

"But the way he looks at her, he looks at her with affection"

"Stefan how do you know what affection looks like, I swear your becoming as bad as Jeremy"

"Hey I'm just trying to get it out of my system, once we graduate I won't be able to have sex all the time" both Emily and I shook our heads but we knew what he meant.

"Honestly Dri, has anything happened?"

"Nope, I don't know why you all honestly think something will happen"

"Stefan's right, we've all seen the looks he gives you, I may not have joined in on the jokes with Stefan or Jeremy but I saw the same things they did. James do you know something?"

"Hah like he would tell us, I've been trying to get out of him for _forever_ about what he knows. He's seen something in Nikolaus' head but won't tell me, why would he tell you?"

I watched as James winked at me before leaning over and whispering in Emily's ear, she laughed before looking at me and leaning over to whisper something to Stefan. When he laughed I couldn't take it, I wanted to know what was said.

"What's so funny?"

"James said that what he kept from you was how Nikolaus was always imagining you naked, well now he doesn't have too"

"You've got to be kidding me" I groaned leaning back and placing my hands over my face, I'm so glad the lounge was at full capacity and no one could hear us.

"Nope, now again. What has happened between you and Nikolaus, surely all the sexual tension I've seen between the two of you since September has caused something to happen" I moved my hand and looked at Stefan, had my friends really noticed something.

"Alright fine, do you remember that small party we had in one of the unused lounges during field experience?" they both nodded. "Well after you all left he kept me behind to give me a lecture, things got heated and we were both in each others' faces and me being who I am when I'm drunk, I kissed him. So yes once again I was stupid enough to make a move while drunk" Emily squealed in delight and Stefan laughed. I just hoped this was enough for them to drop the whole thing

"I knew it! I knew something had to have happened"

"What did he do?"

"He pulled away Em and I got another lecture about kissing a teacher on school grounds, are you two happy? I made a fool of myself" Stefan stopped laughing at that, it was like in the moment he forgot I was in love with Nikolaus. Emily got up from her seat and squeezed herself in beside me so the two of us were sharing the armchair and she put her arm around me.

"He's an idiot for not realising how great you are"

"Surely he's noticed how hot she is" Emily shot Stefan a look and he shut up, not saying anymore.

It was times like these I really wish I could tell my best friends what was going on but I honestly didn't know how they would react. I hated keeping this from them and it was killing me.

"Who's noticed who's hot?" we all looked up at the sound of Jeremy's voice, all of us were lost for words. What happened hadn't gotten to the rest of our friends and it was to stay that way.

"Oh nothing it just seems as though Dri has developed a little bit of a crush on Nikolaus"

"STEFAN!" Both Emily and I yelled at him but he shrugged it off. I couldn't believe he said that to Jeremy, I had no idea what was going to happen here.

"Oh is that all" he went over and sat in the spot that was Emily's

"Is that all, Stefan tells you I have a crush on a teacher and that's all you say?"

"Dri half of the female population here are in love with Anastas, I swear I can't go a day without hearing how hot he is. The fact that you spend so much time with him, I would have been surprised if you made it to graduation without feeling something towards him and even more surprised if you didn't do something about it. It's why I was so worried about the two of you when I had feelings for you, Stefan and I both saw the way he used to look at you. He still does look at you the same way"

"Oh well in that case Dri also kissed him but he pushed her away"

"STEFAN!" Both Emily and I yelled at him again. I was beginning to wonder if Stefan would also tell him that I had sex with Nikolaus. "Stefan if you don't shut the hell I will get over there and kick your ass" I narrowed my eyes at him

"Fine, I will shut my mouth"

"Why what more is there for me to know?"

"Nothing Jer, Stefan's just being an idiot. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh Stefan told me to join you once I finished with my study group"

"Ah okay"

"Yeah, so there's nothing else. You two haven't snuck off and had sex or anything like that?" This time Emily choked on her water, what was going on here? Were my memories now on full show or were they written across my forehead?

"What makes you think that?"

"There's rumours floating around that you two are doing it, I don't believe them but still. I think they've been floating around since the dance"

"Ah that would be because of Lindsay, she believes that we're secretly having an affair and she's not the only one. Dad thought so too over Christmas break but no we aren't sneaking around the grounds having sex" I wish we were but sadly I was disappointed and I wish I did not see the look James had on his face, I knew then and there he knew what I was thinking about.

"James is awfully quiet"

"Sorry, I spoke to Millie earlier. Her aunt is really sick apparently, I'm just worried about her that's all"

"Here we are joking about Dri's secret romance with Nikolaus and you actually have serious things going on" I couldn't believe what happened here, I was worried the jokes were going to start up again about the two of us.

"It's fine Em, I've liked the distraction"

"Oh if you want a distraction I can keep bugging Dri about her crush" Stefan turned and grinned at me and I glared at him but James laughed and it was all Stefan and Jeremy needed to bug me until the bell signalling dinner.

It was the following morning and my session with Nikolaus had finished, we finished a little bit earlier than normal and it wasn't quite time for breakfast, so I was lying on the floor while Nikolaus was putting the practise dummies away.

"Can I ask you something?" I leaned up on my elbows and looked at him

"If you want to run away and hide somewhere where it's always warm and sunny all you have to do is ask" I looked at him for a moment, I had no idea if he was joking or not so I let it go.

"No actually but it sounds perfect" I flashed him a smile and he smiled back. "Would it be so wrong if I told Emily and Stefan?"

"About what?" I looked at him for a moment, did he honestly not know what I meant. "Right, us. Look Dri you know I feel that the less people that know the better but if you can trust them and you want to tell them then I will trust you. If you do plan on telling them, make sure you trust them 100%, we don't need this to get out" he walked over and took a seat beside me

"I know, it's just after the conversation I had with them last night I was thinking maybe I could trust them but I wanted to know what you thought about me telling them because essentially it's your secret too"

"I get it and they're your best friends and you hate keeping stuff from them"

"I do, I really do" I looked at the ground playing with my hands

"Then tell them, I trust you. Oh and since we are talking about telling people, my family knows I'm in love with my student but only one cousin knows your name and they don't know you feel the same way" I felt his hand on my neck before his lips were against my head, I looked up at him just as he got up and went back to putting the practise dummies away.

I stared at him, how did he so casually throw in that his family knew? "I'm sorry what did you just say?"

"I said my family knows I'm in love with you, I accidently sent a message that was meant for you to one of my cousins. Another cousin then began telling everyone I had a girlfriend, this all came out before Christmas break and when I went home for the funeral I had no choice but to tell them I was in love with you since I can't lie to my grandmother she always knows when I am lying but they have no idea who you are except one cousin since she overheard that phone call"

"Oh…" I didn't know what else to say, family was always the last thing on my mind when it came to our relationship. What would mine think of him and what would his think of me?

So I did, I sucked it up and decided to tell Emily and Stefan later that night but right now being in my dorm where no one can bother us. Well I was beginning to chicken out, I actually had no idea how they were going to react.

"Dri what's going on, why did you ask us to come here?" I stopped pacing and looked at them, they were both sitting on my bed looking highly confused.

"Well remember how last night you were asking if anything happened between Nikolaus and I?"

"Yeah what about it?"

"Well I wasn't joking" they both just stared at me, they were speechless. I was worried this was going to end badly, could I have been wrong to trust my best friends with this?

"Wait a moment, are you trying to tell us that you told him you were in love with him and he said he felt the same?"

"Well it didn't come out like that but yes. He feels the same, remember when I said I kissed him after the party and he pushed me away well he didn't push me away. I wasn't even texting dad that night, I was texting him"

"Does that mean you two have had sex?" I laughed at Stefan, was sex really all that guy thought about?

"No, that I actually meant. We haven't had sex since school started, just stolen kissed here and there"

"Since when?"

"It all came before I was kidnapped, not long after I told you guys about my feelings"

"I knew something was different" Stefan spoke but it seemed like it was more to himself and I didn't have the chance to question him since Emily spoke.

"Does James know? Wait why am I asking, of course the kid knows"

"Yeah he does Em, that's what he had been keeping from me. He's known for ages that Nikolaus loved me"

"Who else knows?"

"Just Rose and Dimitri"

"Alright, I'm going to go. I'm sure Emily has like a billion questions I really don't want to sit and listen through" Stefan got up and headed for the door.

"Wait Stef" he turned and looked at me, he gave me a smile before he walked over and kissed my cheek.

"Don't stress Dri I won't tell anyone. I knew something was different because you were happier, it wasn't long after you told us you had feelings for him so I did suspect something" I watched as he left, I couldn't believe how easy that was to tell him. I couldn't believe he knew me that well to know there was something different.

But when I turned and looked at Emily she had the biggest smile on her face, I didn't want to think about the questions she had popping up in her head.

"I have so many questions right now but I really want to know what he thought about the dress you wore to the dance" I got up and went and joined her on my bed

"At first he was jealous because I went with Jeremy but he said I looked beautiful as always. I made a joke about if he was lucky enough he could take it off, he then replied with something along the lines of him already taking off one red dress he didn't need to do another"

"I knew that dress would get a reaction out of him. Have you two really not had sex?"

"Yeah, I asked him why and he said just in case we get caught it's easier to explain an innocent kiss instead of us having sex"

I then spent the rest of the night in my dorm with Emily asking all the questions she could think of, hell some of them I hadn't even thought of and it got me wondering as to if I should talk about them with Nikolaus or even dad since it concerned my _special_ blood thanks to his Spirit ability.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! So for everyone wondering why Dri and Nikolaus haven't had sex again here is the answer and Dri finally told Emily and Stefan about her and Nikolaus.**

**Also there are only a few chapters left before Dri graduates, please review and let me know if there is anything in particular you wish to see.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked that Dri was ranked first and that you enjoyed the fight. I would have enjoyed to make it longer but fighting scenes happen to be my weakness so I brush over them. The finaly trials will come soon enough and there will definitely be more Dri and Nikolaus and in the gym.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the fight in the cafeteria and as for Dri's punishment, well Nikolaus never intended to punish Dri. He just wanted to know why she never told him what happened.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. It does seem like Lindsay will be stuck with paperwork but all will be revealed after the final trials. There will be more intimate scenes between them don't worry, their sessions are now back on and it will occur more. Yes Rose and Dimitri did have a hard time so I have to make it harder for Dri and Nikolaus and it's not like they aren't doing anything, they are. If you noticed that every time they are alone there is always a kiss or some comment that could get them both in a lot of trouble, they've both said they don't want to push the other away so they aren't.**

**Brooke**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Nikolaus wasn't angry at Dri as such, it was more he hated that she didn't tell him what was said.**


	84. Chapter 84

**Chapter 84**

Adrianna POV

We were sitting at breakfast the following morning and by the look on Emily's face I knew she had more questions. My session with Nikolaus was cancelled, something about all the Guardians having to have a meeting before classes started. So I hadn't gotten around to telling him that I told Emily and Stefan, I know I could have messaged him but I thought he deserved to be told face to face.

I watched as Emily's eyes kept moving between me and somewhere behind me, I couldn't help myself, I turned around in my seat and I spotted Nikolaus leaning against the back wall talking with Tanner. Almost as if he knew I was looking at him he turned his head and looked directly at me, I could see the hint of a small smile before he turned back to Tanner. I did the same when I looked back at Emily and she had this huge smile on her face, did I really do the right thing in telling her and Stefan.

Breakfast was over and we were heading to class, Stefan was placed in the other novice class with Carter so we wouldn't see him until lunch. Emily walked over to me and nudged me before we entered the classroom.

"You really don't even acknowledge him?"

"It's easier that way Em, the less people think something is going on the better"

"But Stefan realised something was different"

"No, he realised I was happier. You didn't realise something was different with me?"

"I just thought you were trying to win him over hence the dress, I feel like such a shitty friend" Emily hung her head, I didn't for once think she was a bad friend. I put my arm around her shoulder.

"No way Em, I don't think so. It's fine honestly"

"If you say so but I honestly can't believe you two haven't had sex, wasn't he at Court over Christmas break" Emily spoke as we entered the classroom, I stopped short at the sight of both Rose and Dimitri standing there and the look they were giving me didn't sit right.

"Guess we've got guest speakers" Emily shrugged not realising what was going on

"Em, I have a feeling they heard what you said" I hissed as sat down in our seats

"Oh right...maybe they'll think your sleeping with someone else"

"Who's sleeping with who?" this was like the other night all over again. Sarah spoke as she slid in beside me

"Oh no one is, we're just talking about how hot Anastas is" I shook my head at Emily, it was only my group of friends that called him by his first name while everyone else called him by his last name.

"Oh my god he is hot, I would do anything to know what he's like in bed" and speak of the devil and the devil shall appear.

It was moments like these that I was glad Nikolaus now got along with Dimitri and Rose otherwise this would have been a classroom with a hell of a lot of tension. Emily even shot me a look and I shook my head at her.

I couldn't even help notice that Rose and Nikolaus were talking about something, I got really worried when Dimitri turned his head and glared at the two of them causing them to laugh before they turned back to the rest of the class room.

I ignored the people standing at the front of the classroom and paid attention to the conversation Emily started having with Sarah.

"Alright everyone listen up, Guardian Robinson isn't able to take your class today so I will be" Guardian Tanner appeared and took a seat on Robinson's desk. Thank god I wouldn't have to listen to Robinson's draining voice, I swear he almost puts me to sleep every lesson.

"Now today we have some guest speakers..."

"Really, I didn't notice with them standing at the front of the classroom" I spoke and I knew I shouldn't have done it but it was too late now.

"Really Nikolaus you couldn't have warned me that she would be in this class" Tanner rubbed the back of his neck while looking at Nikolaus, I got a warning look from Dimitri but I just grinned at him but the rest of the class had a laugh at my outburst and Tanner's reaction.

"Anyway, Miss Ivashkov if you could keep all outbursts to a minimum today that would be much appreciated"

"I can only try"

"Thank you, now as I was saying we have some guest speakers today. Now before you interrupt again Ivashkov I know Guardian Anastas isn't a guest but he is involved in the story that we will be hearing from both Guardian Belikov and Guardian Hathaway" I stared at them, unless something happened over Christmas break that I hadn't been told off the only attack as such that the three of them had been in together was when they rescued me, did they really have to tell this story.

I sat there with my head on the desk as three of them told their side of the events that took place in the house, I honestly never asked what they went through while trying to find me because I didn't want to know but what I didn't expect was that there were other Strigoi in that house and Dimitri and Rose had killed one each.

"Any questions?" Tanner spoke, he was still on Robinson's desk. I wonder what he would say about that, Robinson was how do you put it nicely. Well you can't, he basically has a stick up his ass.

"Yeah, why did you go on the rescue mission? We rarely do rescue missions, what was so special about this one person?" my head snapped up at the sound of Lindsay's voice. I honestly couldn't believe that she said that.

"We had found out what the location was of where they were being kept, the Queen herself asked that we retrieved them since they are close to the Queen"

"Are they talking about you?" Emily whispered and all I could do was nod.

"Why though, we're told rescue missions are usually pointless since most of the time Strigoi have killed or turned their captives by the time we reach them"

"Were you or were you not paying attention Miss Reynolds, all three of them said that everyone was working together. Moroi, dhampirs, humans and Strigoi"

"But that's impossible, there hasn't been a single case where everyone has worked together" Daniel spoke from Sarah's other side.

This was becoming too much, I couldn't stand this. It was bringing back bad memories, I needed to get out of here before I really lost it.

"We thought it was impossible as well but everyone was, we believe they wanted the person they took for a reason but we haven't had the chance to find out why"

"Why don't you just lock them up and study them" fuck Lindsay was a bitch

"We can't because they are a living person, they haven't done anything wrong. We can't lock them up"

"Do you have any idea what was so special about them?"

"We a have a feeling but again..." I couldn't take it anymore, I stood up and left the classroom. I could hear Tanner calling my name but I just ignored him.

"Dri stop" I spun around at the sound of Rose's voice, I honestly wished it was Nikolaus instead of her but I knew it couldn't be it would have looked odd. All the seniors knew that I was close with Rose and Dimitri and it wouldn't have looked strange for Rose to follow me.

"Why did it have to be that story? I know for a fact that you and Dimitri have plenty of Strigoi killing stories that you could told instead of the one that involved me!"

"We had no choice, Robinson wanted us to because it involved everyone working together"

"Then why in my class! Why not the other one and leave me out of it!"

"Dri stop"

"No this is bullshit and them going on about wanting to know what was so special that deemed a rescue mission! I get it, I only got a rescue mission because Lissa is Queen and you and Dimitri have so much pull amongst the Guardians"

"Dri if we hadn't have found Eliza chances are you would still be with them or worse"

"Or worse I would be dead and Michael would be a Strigoi, whether it be a normal one or the one that makes them different thanks to my blood"

"Yes, please come back inside"

"No thanks, I would rather not listen to the rest of them question why everyone came to save me. I'm guessing Lissa is here as well?"

"She is, at the moment she is with Adrian and James"

"Thanks" I nodded at her and walked down the hallway to the classroom that dad and James use for their Spirit classes.

I entered the room and found them mid conversation, they all stopped talking and looked at me. I ignored them and walked to the couch and laid down face first on it.

"Dri why aren't you in class?"

I didn't answer dad's question instead I focused on the memory hoping James would see it. "Dri stop, I saw it. Rose, Dimitri and Nikolaus were all in her class and they were talking about her rescue, she had enough and stormed out before shortly coming here"

"Sweetie are you alright" I heard Lissa before I felt her stroke my hair. I sat up and looked at her, she frowned at the sight of me. While I had been faced down in the couch I had been crying.

"No, I just couldn't sit there and listen to them keep asking questions about why I was so special. Speaking of which have you worked out why I'm special?"

"No we haven't, we're trying to keep this as quiet as possible so other people don't get the same idea about your blood. We were thinking of doing a blood test but we were going to wait until you graduated so that way the three of us can look at it"

"That's fair, what other things do you think are different? Do you think there's a possibility that I could get pregnant by another dhampir?"

"No idea, we know it's physically impossible for them to conceive. I tried helping Rose and Dimitri but nothing we could think of had worked"

"I know but we know my bloods special, what if there's something in my blood that changes that?"

"We won't know until we ran tests or you get pregnant first"

"And no Dri, Lissa isn't giving you permission to go off and get pregnant"

"Shush dad we're talking" I flashed him a smile and he shook his head which caused my smile to turn into a grin instead.

"Dri you should head to class, I know you've got a practical class next"

"Yes dad, it was good to see you Lissa. Will I get to see you again before you leave?"

"I don't know sweetie"

"Alright, I love you Lissa"

"I love you too Dri" I leaned over and gave Lissa a hug before I said goodbye to James and dad and then headed out towards the gym not really looking for this class, I knew everyone would look at me funny for walking out of the previous class.

I had walked out of the change rooms and found Nikolaus sitting on the bench. "What you're here to tell stories in this class too?"

"I was worried about you"

"Yeah, yeah and you hoped I would come here so you could check on me since you couldn't chase me out of the classroom"

"Dri, I could see it on your face before you even left. You were getting angrier with each question"

"Why did you agree to tell that story? You of all people should know how it would have affected me"

"I had no choice"

"No you did, you could have told Robinson that I wouldn't have reacted well to having to listen to that story"

"I couldn't, I can't let anyone know how well I know you. Rose and Dimitri both tried but he wouldn't budge"

"Then you should have gone to Alberta about it!" I snapped at him

"I'm sorry Dri" he reached over and cupped my face, I let out a sigh and my shoulders slumped

Before I could even reply we could hear a noise on the other side of the door indicating that the rest of my class was going to join me. Nikolaus' hands instantly dropped from my face, I looked up at him and I could tell he was worried that I was still mad at him.

"We'll continue this later" I nodded before walking over to where Emily was.

"What was that about?"

"He was checking on me"

"Aww that's cute"

"Please don't make me regret telling you, come on. I think it's Sarah's turn to take the class" I elbowed her before heading over to where Sarah was standing trying to get everyone's attention.

When lunch time came around I headed in with Emily and we found only Stefan and James sitting at our usual table, I assumed Belle and Jeremy were all seeing the feeders. When we took a seat at the table, Stefan had this weird look on his face and I was a little worried.

"So I heard an interesting rumour about Dri today. Something about her and Nikolaus making out in empty novice lounges, James have you heard anything?" the look on James' face was hilarious, so Stefan wasn't messing with me. He was messing with James, he was annoyed that James knew and he didn't.

"Nope, no idea what you're on about" James looked down at his plate and began putting food in his mouth too quickly in hopes of not answering anymore questions

"Yeah apparently they even spent the night together after our small party in one of the empty lounges during the field experience"

James looked up at me, I was pretending to act shock. I don't know why James wasn't just trying to read the emotions going around him, or maybe there were too many people in here for him to focus on us or maybe he really was trying to cut back on Spirit. He narrowed his eyes before turning to Stefan

"You're messing with me, she told you"

"I tried" he shrugged before starting on his lunch

"When did you tell them Dri?"

"Last night, after joking around with them the other night about it I thought maybe I could trust them. I spoke to him about it and he said if I trusted them he trusted me but I haven't had the chance to tell him that they know, I was planning on it this afternoon"

"You know I'm curious to know how Adrian's going to react"

"Em, he is going to lose. Dri might be 19 but she is Adrian's little girl, he loves her and knowing that she has been sleeping with him. It won't end well"

"James is right guys, under no circumstances dad can find out about us"

"Dri, we already told you we won't tell anyone. We'll protect you"

"Emily's right Dri, we love you and we can tell you're happy. That's all that matters"

I looked at my two best friends and I knew then and there that I wouldn't lose them and I didn't want to lose them. I couldn't believe how much I've trusted them with over the last year and they were still by my side.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! Again there are only a few chapters left before Dri graduates, please review and let me know if there is anything in particular you wish to see.**

**To the Guest that said that you miss Rose and Dimitri****, thank you for reviewing it means a lot to me. I understand that you miss them, it makes sense I love reading stories about their relationship but this isn't about them. This story focuses on Dri and her life surrounding the various struggles whether it's friends, family, relationships or the struggles with having Spirit in her blood. I do try and put Rose and Dimitri in when I can but it's hard when they are permanently stationed at St Vladimir's.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved the scene in the lounge, I have so much fun writing the moments between Dri and Nikolaus. The conversation with her friends that was the point, it was meant to awkward. As for the other Guardians noticing the looks between Dri and Nikolaus, it's only Stefan, Jeremy and Emily have noticed the looks between the four of them were the closest before anything happened between Dri and Jeremy. I'm glad you liked the different ways Stefan and Emily took the news, it's how I wanted it to come across. I wanted Emily to have a million and one questions while Stefan didn't care as long as Dri is happy that's all that matters and he could see that. **

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It's fine I understand that things in people's life prevent them from reading or updating, I just hope everything is fine and you get better soon. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and that Dri told her friends.**

**To the other Guest**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. A few weeks to graduation, I'm not sure it's hard to follow a time line in my head but in a couple of chapters it will state that it's only six weeks so until then these chapters are somewhere around Feb or March I'm not 100% sure and it sounds really bad but oh well. I have Dri and everyone else's future planned out so don't stress I know what they will all do as well as placements, couples and any possible children. I have also planned how Adrian reacts to the relationship between Dri and Nikolaus and if he accepts it or not.**


	85. Chapter 85

**Chapter 85**

Adrianna POV

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Belle kept going on and on about..." I stopped mid-sentence when I finally took notice of the gym, Nikolaus wasn't alone. Alberta had joined him. "Guardian Petrov"

"Miss Ivashkov, I didn't plan on crashing your session and I won't be staying long. I heard about what happened during your Body Guard Theory class this morning"

"Yes I wasn't pleased with having to sit there and listen to them all explain how the rescue mission went and then listen to my classmates ask why I was deemed so special" I could see the look Nikolaus was giving me behind Alberta but I just ignored him and focused on Alberta.

"I understand it was a stressful time for you and I didn't realise you were still being affected by it, I didn't realise that you would have had such a hard time having to listen to them tell the story as well as listening to the questions"

"The worst was when they were wanting to know why I was special and yet we still don't know if what they wanted could actually work"

"I know and it's why I came to apologize, if I had of realised I would have made sure that Guardian Robinsons didn't force them to tell the story of the rescue mission. I was only for it for the learning aspect, this is the first case we've all ever heard of everyone working together. I believe it was crucial that you all heard about it"

"I understand that I do, I just don't know why I had to sit through it. I already lived it"

"Very well, again I apologize. I will let you two begin your session, Anastas I'm very pleased with how well she has turned out under your instruction" Alberta nodded at both of us before leaving us alone in the gym.

"Did you go to her and did she come to you?"

"She came to me, you know why I couldn't go to her Dri"

"I know, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I shouldn't have expected that of you" I stepped closer to him and looked up at him but all he did was take a small step back so we weren't as close

"It's fine Dri, come on we really should train"

"Wait, I told Emily and Stefan last night"

"Is that why Emily kept looking at me during breakfast?"

"Yes she finds it weird we didn't acknowledge each other"

"How did they react aside from that?"

"Fine all though Stefan finds it hard to believe we aren't having sex in empty lounges or the cabins" I smirked at him as I stepped closer to him so I could softly ran my fingers along his arm. "It could be a lot of fun you know, we could skip this session, sneak out to the cabins and have sex. Wouldn't it be fun" I looked up at him and smiled

"Damn it Dri" he growled pulling his arm away from me

"What I'm not doing anything that's different to you grabbing my ass"

"Oh really?" this time he softly ran his fingers along my side brushing against my breast and my ass, it was nothing like him playfully grabbing it the other day. This was seductive, he was doing it on purpose, he was trying to see who had more control.

"Laps, I think we should run laps today" I pulled away from him and headed for the door but all he did was laugh at me before grabbing my wrist and yanking back towards him. I ended up standing incredibly close to him and he had an arm wrapped around my waist.

"Is there a problem?" he whispered as he leaned down to softly kiss my neck but feeling his breathe on my skin was too much.

"I get it, you have more control then I do. Are we going or not"

"That wasn't my plan but we can run laps if you want" him leaning over and kissing my behind the ear was my undoing, I couldn't take it.

"You're evil, I'm running laps with or without you" I pulled away from him and ran for the door to make sure he didn't stop me.

"Dri I'm sorry come back here" him laughing his apology didn't make me want to turn back any more than if he wasn't laughing.

I was aimless running around the grounds, I was beginning to wonder if Nikolaus would catch up or let me be and assumed I would continue to run by myself. I needed to stop and take a breather, I was running faster than what I normally did and that was when Nikolaus finally caught up to me.

"You started it" he spoke when he stopped beside me

"What I did was nothing like what you did"

"You have no idea what you can do to me, our sparring sessions and one of us ends up pinned to the mat. The amount of control I have to have to not succumb into temptation is too high"

"Then you should learn to loosen up" I whispered as I placed one hand on his neck and leaned up to softly kiss his cheek but before he could do anything I pulled away and took off running.

"Damn it! You're going to be the death of me one day!" I turned my head and looked behind me and smirked at him before continue to run.

"I won" I spoke as I reached the doors to the gym, the whole time Nikolaus was a few steps behind me. I knew he could have easily caught up and beaten me but I was a little confused as to why he didn't.

"Only because I let you" he pulled the door open and held it for me to enter ahead him

"I know why did you?" I looked at him and he looked like he was about to say something but then we noticed that the gym wasn't empty, there were other novices in here. "It's fine, I will see you in the morning" I gave him a smile as I turned back around and headed back to my dorm to shower before dinner.

When I was back in my dorm after my shower I found Emily sitting on my bed waiting for me. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I did go to the gym to try and see the two of you together but it was empty, also you have a message" she threw my phone at me and I caught it, there was a message from Nikolaus. I put my phone in my pocket with the intent of reading it later.

"We went running, why do you want to see us together? It would be no different than what you have seen between us before, it's not like we spent my session having sex, no matter how much Stefan thinks that actually happens"

"It would be different, I just want to see how he makes you happy Dri" she hung her head and looked at her lap, I walked over and sat beside her.

"I get Em but it's hard, he makes me happy, sometimes. Today he was just plain annoying"

"Why what happened?"

"Let's just say he's a tease and he claims I started it"

"Oh wow, hey what did the message say he sent you?"

"How do you know it was him?"

"Unknown number, just a guess" Emily shrugged at me but either way I pulled my phone out and checked the message.

_I allowed you to win because me staying a few steps behind you allowed me to check out your ass._

"That perve" I laughed and handed Emily the phone, she laughed as well.

"Have you two always been like this?"

"No, apart from the comment about taking me out of the dress at the dance nothing like this has been said. It's only since he got back from his holiday that it's been different"

"Where did he go? Normally Guardians don't take off during the term"

"I can't tell you that but it was important"

"That's fine, so what changed?"

"Whatever happened while he was away made him realise he doesn't want to lose me, beforehand I think we were both secretly hoping things would changes where as now, we're not. I don't know it's hard to explain"

"I think I get it"

"Surely you know that if things were different I would have no problem hiding this from both you and Stefan, if Nikolaus was another student it would be so much easier but he's a teacher, my teacher at that Em"

"I know and I've told you this before, I don't care if he's a teacher. If he makes you happy that's all that matters to me"

"Thanks Em it means a lot" I put an arm around her and leaned into her

"I know, I'm the better friend than Stefan. Speaking of which him and everyone else are hanging out in one of the unused lounges"

"What I don't get is why they're still unused considering I know for a fact that novices are regularly using them"

"Because the Guardians don't think we do" Emily shrugged as she climbed off my bed and headed for the door.

I shortly followed her wondering if I should tell my friends that the Guardians know more than we originally thought. When we made it the lounge I found the usual suspects sitting in there but Jeremy, Belle and Lucas were having a hushed conversation while Stefan and Carter were talking with James about something.

"What's everyone talking about?" I went and sat down on the floor in the middle of the groups hoping they would all join me.

"Well Jeremy just told us an interesting story about how you made a move on Nikolaus while drunk one night" Belle spoke and we all turned and stared at her, I didn't know what to say. I loved Belle, I honestly did but she was a gossip and we all knew it but what I couldn't believe was that Jeremy had told her.

"Stefan don't" Emily spoke, I turned my head. I hadn't even realised he stood up and made way to Jeremy.

"Dri how could you do that to a teacher?" I snapped my head around at Carter, I didn't know what to expect from him. He was more into rules than the rest of us.

"I get it Carter, I screwed up big but I was drunk and trust me I got the end all of all lectures from him about it the next time I saw him sober"

"But he told her, we all know how much of a gossip Belle is"

"You were all making jokes about it, how the hell was I meant to know that I wasn't meant to tell anyone"

"I'm not that much of a gossip why would I tell everyone this?"

"Oh come Belle you told everyone I had sex with Jason, I trusted you!"

"Hey don't yell at her!"

"Jeremy you're lucky I don't punch you in the face again"

"Don't Stefan I can do worse"

"He's not worth the energy James"

"I can yell at who ever I like Lucas, you don't know shit. You don't even hang out with us half the time"

"Neither does Carter!"

"Hey don't bring me into this"

I sat there in complete shock watching my friends argue, I couldn't believe Jeremy telling Belle started all this. Why were my friends arguing about one little thing, we've never argued like this. Yes we may have yelled at each but we were fine the next day, the longest any of us went without speaking was when Jeremy cheated on me. I couldn't take it anymore, I couldn't take sitting there watching my friends fight over my own secrets.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" everyone turned and starred at me. "Jeremy you shouldn't have told Belle, Belle we know you are a gossip you did that to yourself by telling everyone about Emily and Jason, Lucas Emily can yell at Belle if she wants because Belle hurt Emily, Stefan Jeremy doesn't deserve to be punched over this and James same goes for you. This is ridicules, we have never argued like this. We're graduating soon and half of us are going who knows where, why are we letting the fact that I was too embarrassed to tell you all that I made a move on a teacher who rejected me while I was drunk" Everyone muttered their apologies to whoever needed them.

"Dri I really am sorry for telling Belle, I thought it would be fine since you were all making jokes about it the other night"

"Its fine I get it, it's probably something I shouldn't have kept from you all but I was worried about Belle. If it gets out, Nikolaus could be in a lot of trouble"

"Dri I promise I won't tell anyone. I felt so bad after what I did to Emily, I honestly didn't mean it. I was talking about the party with some of the other girls and it just came out"

I didn't know what to say to Belle, I really hoped she wouldn't tell anyone. It was one of the eerie silent moments where no one knew what to say, we had just gone us all yelling at everyone to everyone apologising and me explaining myself sticking to the story I originally told to Stefan and Emily, it made me wonder if I should tell Nikolaus about the same story in case it did get out and he wasn't caught out by it.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! I hope this between Dri and her friends wasn't too confusing for everyone, I did explain who was yelling at who.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed both chapters, I do hope you meant that Dri told Emily and Stefan instead of Emily and Jeremy but either way I had never planned on Dri keeping it from Emily and Stefan for long. I'm actually surprised it went on that long, I originally wanted them to find out before field experience but then he ended up staying away longer than I originally planned.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes unfortunately there was no name otherwise I would have referred to your name. I'm glad I answered all your questions, yes I understand that it isn't technically illegal for Dri and Nikolaus to be together but he is her teacher and that is where the law comes into it but also being a separate race and they have their own rules I'm not too sure. I'm glad you like all those things, I do as well and I try to put them in where I can.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes of course it is damn near impossible to pull a fast one over James but Stefan does like to try, I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked the looks between Dri and Nikolaus at breakfast and how Emily is taking all of it. I was a little worried about Lissa being a little OOC but as you said, she has aged and is a mum herself. I figured being mum might change her attitude. Yes the doors I'm sorry about that but in my head I envision their gym doors being one of those ones that has like a little entryway before the actual gym allowing the weather to get trapped since they do deal with harsh winters, so they heard the first set of doors opening and closing and the voices before the second set opened. Adrian does find out eventually but it's not for a few chapers.**


	86. Chapter 86

**Chapter 86**

Adrianna POV

"Dri focus" Nikolaus snapped at me, it was our morning session and Nikolaus wanted to get in as much as he could before tonight. My afternoon session as well as my standing Saturday sessions have been cancelled because tonight the top 12 marked novices from field experience were going on a field trip.

Tonight we were all heading out with our mentors and heading out off the grounds to get some real life experience, it was day light so we weren't likely to be attack by Strigoi. None of us knew what to expect going into this later on, the previous years' seniors won't talk about it and the Guardians won't let up on it. It's not even something I could ask Rose, Eddie or Dimitri since this is something they've only recently implemented into the novice education.

I still haven't gotten around to telling Nikolaus that my friends know I made a move on him while drunk in the novice lounge during field experience since it only came out a couple of days ago, I didn't even know how to bring it up but I knew I would have to eventually, I was worried it was going to end badly.

"Sorry" I mumbled a reply and straightened up fixing my footing, we were currently sparring and I wasn't at my usual standard.

"You can do better than this, if you don't improve I will keep you back here tonight" I shrugged in reply before throwing a punch that he easily blocked.

Nikolaus grabbed my wrist in the process of blocking my punch, he straightened up and I had no choice but to follow in suit. He eyed me and I wondered exactly what was going through his head, all I knew was that he was trying to work out exactly was going through my head.

"What's bothering you?"

"Don't know what you're on about, I thought we were sparring"

"You aren't focused and that is a huge sign as to something is bothering you, what is it?"

"Just trying to work out what is going to happen tonight, no one knows what to expect"

"You shouldn't worry about that"

"Why not?"

"Because you should be focused on our session" he had a smirk on his face and before I could even question what the look was for I found myself pinned to the ground. "That is why you should focus and push your worries aside"

"You just like pinning me down" I whispered with a smile on my face

Nikolaus lowered his head and I could feel his breathe against my neck. "I might but this isn't the time or the place for that" he whispered back before softly kissing my neck and pulling away helping me up once he was standing.

"So you do want to have sex again, why can't we seriously skip a session?"

"After what you've shown me today I don't think so, now what has you honestly worried about tonight?"

"The last time we left the grounds" I quickly spoke before walking over to where my drink bottle was

"Dri that won't happen, you'll be groups. You won't be alone and risk having that happen again, you will be safe"

"How can you promise something like that?"

"Because the people in your group will protect you, it's part of the practical you will be going through tonight"

"I would feel better if you just told me what we were doing tonight"

"I can't Dri, no one is meant to know. It's why the previous years' seniors don't talk about it, they don't even tell the other novices until after graduation but I can assure you that you will be fine. Now please focus and come back here, we still have some time before breakfast"

"Fine" I mumbled a reply and he shot me a look but I did as he requested and moved back to where he was standing.

When I was standing in front of him he gave me a small smile and reached out to caress my cheek, it didn't take me long to give him a smile back and his hand dropped. He then requested we go back to sparring until the session was finished.

It was later on in the day and we were about to head out but first we had sit in the gym and receive a lecture from Alberta on what is expected of us.

"Quiet, it's time to listen up. While you are out of school grounds you need to follow the rules that have been set out for you and listen to the Guardians that are accompanying you. You need to remember that whatever you do while off grounds does not get repeated to anyone that isn't accompanying you until after graduation. No one younger than you is to find out what you did, its part of the evaluation, going into the unknown. Be respectful to the humans surrounding you, you are entering their world during one of their busier days, also I cannot stress enough that you are not allowed to change your clothes unless instructed too." That confused me and looking around I wasn't the only one.

"That is all from me, you will receive your rules for the day once out there. Find your mentor and follow them to a car" When Alberta finished speaking it took a few moments for everyone to find their mentor, most of us were too busy talking to our friends.

In fact in most cases the Guardians had to approach the novices and remind them that it was time leave, I was standing with Stefan and Emily and it didn't surprise us when Nikolaus, Tanner and Todd all walked over together. The three of them had become sort of friends and we liked to believe it was because of us, every time I mentioned it to Nikolaus he would laugh at me.

"Is this where you finally tell me what the go is?" I looked at him with a massive smile on my face

"No" he said it with a straight face and my smile fell causing Tanner and Todd to laugh at me and I shot them both a glare. "I would be careful you two, she's driving"

"Wait, what?"

"We thought you were driving Anastas" they weren't the only ones.

At this point I stopped walking and starred at him in shock, this caused everyone to laugh at me. Emily pushed me in the back to get me walking again. "Seriously you're actually letting me drive?"

"Yeah, you've all been spilt up into four groups of three. Remember when you all sat for your driving tests? We kept the scores, a novice is driving in each group and we went back to those records and it's the one that did better out of the group, in some aspects anyway" Nikolaus held the keys out for me and I made a grab but he pulled back.

"Seriously you're going to play this game?"

"I know you Dri, you have to be a responsible drive and follow the GPS"

"I promise now give me the keys" he threw the keys at me and I flashed him a smile before climbing into the car noticing that the GPS was already turned on and set up. That was weird that they were letting us drive but no idea as to where we were going.

The GPS finally told me to pull over and I pulled up in beside the other cars and we all piled out. I was a little confused by where we were, we were standing in a large park. We could even see a group of children playing on some equipment further down.

Standing around looking at the other novices I could tell they were just confused about where we were, Carter walked over and joined us. He drove one of the other cars with Daniel and Sarah.

"Any idea what we are doing here?"

"No idea Carter, I'm assuming we will find out soon enough. All the Guardians are talking amongst themselves"

"Alright everyone listen up" Nikolaus moved to the front of the group and grabbed everyone's attention.

"Here's the deal for today, the cars will be left here. On the other side of this park is a main road and across that is the shopping centre, we will be in there. This is where things get tricky, there will be no fighting and by that I mean no punching, no kicking, nothing" Nikolaus was silent and I could hear the whispers amongst us, everyone was confused. What's the point of this if we don't fight?

"Before everyone starts questioning me there is a point, remember we are amongst humans we can't get in trouble by the police we need to go unnoticed to a point. What we are doing today, it is meant to be fun but also educational. You will all receive waistbands and a various number of tags, the point of this is to move amongst the humans and steal tags from the other team. It is basically a massive capture the flag game, except instead of one flag there is multiple flags." The other Guardians begun moving amongst us and handing them out, it was then I noticed we were all receiving the same colour.

"If you had noticed, yes you all received the same colour. It will a game of novices against Guardians, the point of this is sneak through the shopping centre and try to steal all of our tags and we will do the same thing. You will also be given headsets to communicate with your teammates, your team captain will be Adrianna because she was ranked first and I'm the captain for the Guardians. Protect your captain, they have less tags then the rest of you"

I looked over at Stefan, Emily and Carter and noticed they did have more tags then I did, in fact I kept looking around noticed a trend. The higher ranking novices had less while the lower ones had more, in fact couple of them had the same amount and I'm assuming it was to hide rankings 11 and 12.

"You all have a 10 minute head start, head over and make a plan. Work out how you want to attack this, do you want to be on the offensive or defensive or do you want half and half? Your ten minutes starts now"

I finally had a good look at the novices that were out here, most of them I got along with either pretty well or reasonably enough but it was Clarke and Toby that I was worried about.

"So I thought maybe if we spilt the group and do half offensive half defensive like Anastas suggested, the top six rankings stick to defensive while the bottom six do offense. What do you think Adrianna?" Toby spoke and I was shocked, maybe it wouldn't be this bad working with them for the day if he was asking for my advice.

"I like it, no offense to the bottom six but according to the rankings your defence is weaker so why not do it that way. As he said I have to be protected, I only have three tags while the bottom novices have six that is a huge leap"

"I like the plan and it makes sense, we were obviously scored worse then you for a reason and that reason is our defence. It's how field experience works, we are marked on our ability to defend our Moroi but I also think we should spilt up in there, try to keep away from each other but also close enough that if they get attacked we can help out"

"Amelia makes a good point but what if instead of being left alone what if we stick to small groups? What about the car groups?" I looked over at Damon and smiled

"I like it, I like all of it and it might work and what makes it even better is I didn't think of it" I grinned at them

"Why is that a concern?" Clarke spoke up and Emily laughed at him. "What?"

"You're forgetting who the Guardians captain is, it's Dri's mentor. Those two have been training and spending countless hours together in that gym, if she came up with the plan then surely Anastas would know what she would be thinking"

"Exactly but there is one thing I would change and they won't expect it"

"What's the Dri?"

"Who I'm grouped with in fact I believe Stefan, Emily and myself should be spilt up. Anastas, Todd and Tanner will expect the three of us to be together if they suspect groups"

"She's right, what if I switch with Stefan and then Toby and Emily switch. That way the groups are still three and we will be shocking them"

"If we want to shock them shouldn't we have Dri with two people they won't suspect?"

"It makes sense Toby but Dri doesn't want that"

"Why?" everyone was looking at me now, I was worried about how this was going to go but I needed to be protected and worse things have happened to me now.

"The last time I came out here I was jumped and attacked, I know I can trust all of you but I will feel more comfortable having one of my friends with me but everything else we have come with I agree with and it should work. It will throw them when they realise that Emily, Stefan and I aren't together"

"I have another idea" I looked over at Bradley, he had been a little quiet through all of this while everyone had been putting in different ideas.

"What if we mix the groups up over time, we're all connected by the headsets. What if every 30 minutes or so we plan to meet up at certain points and switch some people around, more specifically Adrianna since we have to protect her?"

"That's smart, really smart good work Badley. Our ten minutes is almost up, we should spilt up now and keep talking over the headsets and plan the next switch"

Everyone agreed and we spilt up, I went off with Carter and Toby. I was worried about how Toby was going to be about this but he seemed alright so far, I was just glad it wasn't all the novices because if I had to worry about Lindsay I would lose it.

Nikolaus POV

"Got it" I heard Dri's voice and felt one of my tags being pulled, when I spun around and came face to face with Dri I was shocked, she had on a blonde wig. No wonder I didn't spot her out in the crowd.

We had been here for a couple of hours and the novices were surprising us over and over again, the first that shocked us was when we discovered the Dri, Emily and Stefan weren't paired together like we thought they would be. All that Guardians that had come out with me and the novices knew just how close the three of them were, we all assumed they were stick together.

Another thing that shocked us was then constantly changing groups, as soon as we spotted them it seemed like they would meet up and switch before heading off somewhere else again. It was confusing us and along with that it seemed as though some of the novices were actively seeking us out trying to pull our tags while others were running from us.

I flashed Dri a smile before reaching out to make a grab for hers but she jumped back and I narrowly missed her tag.

"Got to be quicker than that" she winked at me and took off running. I was happy to see her smiling and enjoying this after all the concerns and worry she had this morning about it.

The whole point of this exercise was to work on their stealth and strategic abilities but also give them a reward and allow them to have a bit of fun before they graduated. Allowing them to run around in a shopping centre lets them blow off steam while giving them this goal forced them to work together. As for the reward aspect, well it's only the top 12 novices that were allowed to come out with us instead of all of them.

"We have a problem" I spoke over the headset once Dri was out of sight.

"What is it Anastas?"

"I just came across a blonde Dri, something tells me the novices have money on them" I heard a couple of complaints come through but no one actively said anything in reply.

"Well they aren't allowed to change their clothes so that's something, I'm sure we can deal with the headwear changes"

"We'll be fine Anastas, we have more of them out than they do us. Just get back to your group and go from there"

I did as Tanner suggested and met back up with Jordans and Sparks, I had to make an escape for a bathroom break but told them I would be fine by myself. I still had my three tags, well now two since Dri stole one but I suppose that was pay back since I had stolen one of Dri's earlier in the day.

Tanner was right though, three of the novices had lost all their tags while only one of us had lost theirs. We were coping and staying ahead of them but these surprised they had come up with were shocking us, we quickly figured out that they were all coming up with ideas and everyone going along with it as long as they believed it would work and it was but we knew they would run out of ideas eventually.

All I know was I wanted this to end shortly, I was more excited for the next activity we have planned for them.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Dri does eventually tell Nikolaus about the drunken rejected kiss, I believe it is the next chapter and yes you did spell his name right. I know it's weird to get used to the spelling I struggled when I first started the story. Thank you for saying I'm awesome :)**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes she did handle that well and it's the point, to the outside nothing is meant to be going on. I'm glad you like the flirting, I have a lot of fun writing those moments because I am that type of person but I also love writing the sweet caring moments between the two of them.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I know Jeremy does seem like a bad guy but trust me there is a future that will put him back in the good books, eventually anyway. I'm glad you're enjoying the cute moments between the two of them, I try to put them in as I can but I can't focus too much on their relationship and ignore her friends or even her family it's hard to make a balance.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As for Petrov caring about Dri, she does because she feels that Dri has been given the under hand and has been dealt a lot of bad luck and she sees a lot of Rose in her and in the books her and Rose were sort of close. As for her suspecting, I don't know. It's not something I have thought of but it is a good idea. There is always a reason behind something, it is how I write my stories. I do something for a reason. I'm glad you like a cheeky Nikolaus. I know Jeremy is kind of being an asshole at the moment but as he said, he didn't realise it was a secret he just thought it was a stupid drunk mistake and she's said in previous chapters she is known to do stupid stuff while drunk. Dri will tell Nikolaus eventually, also I hope you enjoyed the first half of the real life experience chapter. I didn't want it to be too serious so hence no Moroi but it's still educational.**


	87. Chapter 87

**Chapter 87**

Adrianna POV

We lost and the devastation was felt amongst the novices when we were getting something to eat, it had come down to Nikolaus, Tanner, Carter and myself. Carter and I decided to spilt up in hopes of drawing a Guardian each away and I assumed Nikolaus would follow me but I was wrong. I guess the payback for shocking them all day was that, even the look on Nikolaus face when he spotted me in a blonde wig was enough to know that our plans were working.

We had agreed that if we rotated the ideas between everyone it would shock them, they wouldn't know who was coming up with the ideas and the less I had the easier for us since Nikolaus knew me so well.

Having Tanner follow me was tricky, I had never fought against him, not even in field experience. I didn't know what to expect with him but I went with it and in the end he stole my last tag and then we had to wait on Nikolaus and Carter which took longer than we thought but in the end Nikolaus got the better of Carter stealing the last of his tags.

"So what do you think they have planned for us for the rest of this?" Toby questioned.

Once Nikolaus and Carter had returned, we were told that we were getting some food before heading off to the next activity and we were all curious. As much as we knew this was an educational experience we all had a lot of fun doing this. I knew I was exhausted and when I looked around the table I could tell the other novices were as well, it didn't matter that periods 7 and 8 were cancelled for the 12 of us so we could some sleep before having to leave. It was a long day but we were all pulling through.

"No idea Toby, maybe something just as fun?" Clarke replied and it was then everyone begun putting in their own ideas.

Some of them were completely out there like Patrick's idea of rock climbing, how was that education? Other people had ideas like paintballing or laser tag since it was similar to what we had just done.

Once we had finished eating it was time to leave and head back to the cars to go to the next place. "What happened to the blonde wig?" I looked over at Nikolaus and smirked

"What prefer me as a blonde?"

He flashed me a smile before replying. "No, never said that. I admit it was a shock seeing you as a blonde but I wouldn't want you to change your hair" he lowered his voice for the last part, I smiled back as we climbed into the car.

"Alright, where to now?"

"Not telling, let me key it in" I frowned as he keyed in the address for the next location.

We had to wait for Emily, Stefan, Todd and Tanner to join us in the car and I spent that time bugging Nikolaus in hopes of getting out of him where we are going but he wouldn't budge. I leaned over in my seat and placed my hand on his leg, he frowned but before I could say anything we heard voices and I pulled back from him.

When we arrived I was completely shocked, I couldn't believe they were actually taking us paintballing.

"Are you kidding me?" Stefan spoke from the back seat and all three Guardians laughed.

"Come on let's head inside and get suited up and then we will explain the go for this" I turned around and looked at Emily and Stefan and they both had massive grins on their faces, we all knew this was going to be fun.

Once we were all suited up we were standing in this large room and once again Nikolaus stood up to address us all.

"I hope you are all enjoying the day so far, this is the last thing we are doing and in previous years it doesn't take too long. You are all going to be given 200 paintballs, the aim of the game is to be the last one standing. There are no teams, it's free for all. As soon as you are hit you're out, this will continue in the same fashion until the last person standing with bullets. As much as this is fun it is also working on your aim, in theory you should be able to hit people with a single bullet but there is no head shots allowed"

I thought about what he said and 200 paintballs is a lot if we're meant to get them with one hit but after a few goes we quickly learned there was one detail he missed out, the guns weren't accurate! So we were regularly missing our target but we enjoyed it and had some fun, at one point I looked around and noticed that most of the novices were ganging up on their own mentors. I might have been the only one to have regular sessions with Nikolaus but it didn't the other novices couldn't have sessions with their own mentor if they wanted too, most of them did except they wouldn't it have it as easy as I do. Their mentor's would kick their asses while with Nikolaus mine are more educational, there are still some sessions where Nikolaus will put me on the defensive.

I had heard about paintballing from Rose and Dimitri and some of the other Guardians but no one not ever mentioned that it hurt and I would more than likely have welts and bruises across my body when I wake up.

"You ready to go home?" Emily spoke, we were both leaning against each other for support. We both just wanted to go home, have a hot shower and get in bed to get some much needed sleep but yet the boys were taking longer than they should.

"So ready, all I can say is I'm glad my session is cancelled so I can sleep a bit longer"

"That was nice of him, I heard Toby complaining that he's still got his"

"Yeah but his normal session is after mine" I looked over at Toby, he was standing with Clarke and it looked like he was complaining about something as usual.

"Then what the hell is he complaining about, your session is broken up by breakfast"

"Yeah I know, it's weird but Alberta didn't want us to be out there in the middle of the day preventing others to be in there"

"Do you prevent others from being in there?"

"Not really, I think it's more an understanding to leave us alone with doesn't make sense"

"Really?"

"Yeah but after field experience we did find an increase of people supposably wanting to train but they just watched us spar"

"It's because you two are fascinating to watch"

"Em!" I was shocked, what the hell was she getting at

"That's not what, I meant when you fight. You have been sparring for four years, you both know each other incredibly well. The only time you get one over him is when Rose and Dimitri teach you something new"

"Oh, yeah that is true but everyone else spars with their mentor"

"Not as often as you do"

"I guess, why can't we leave it?" I questioned when Nikolaus appeared in my vision.

He didn't say anything, he just looked at the two of us leaning against each. I could see him trying to fight a laugh and I couldn't help but flash him a smile and he shook his head.

"You are not driving home"

"Good it means I can sleep in the car" my smile turned into a smirk and this time he laughed

"Come on it's not that bad, I've been up longer than you. I didn't get that afternoon nap I know every single one of you novices took"

"Bull"

"Seriously, all of us were in one of the meeting rooms going over paperwork making sure we had everything right for this. The first year this was run we were missing something from the paperwork and we weren't allowed to do it, you can say they weren't happy"

"I wouldn't be either, I might be exhausted and be craving a shower and my bed but I still had a lot of fun"

"I'm glad, see you worried about nothing earlier"

"Yeah, yeah, when are we leaving?" I waved my hand at him in hopes of dropping the conversation.

"Dri" his voice was dripping with concern and right now that was the last thing I needed in front of everyone

"What?" I snapped in response and I saw hurt flash through his eyes and I think Emily did as well by the look and elbow to the ribs that I got or it could have been just because of my attitude.

"Fine, we're leaving in a couple of minutes" he turned and left heading back towards the other Guardians.

"That was rude Dri" Emily hissed as soon as Nikolaus had left

"I don't want to hear it" I went to leave her in hopes of finding Stefan but she had other ideas, she grabbed my arm and pulled me back

"Too bad, I get it Dri. Things are hard for you but it doesn't give you the right to be rude to him"

"No, Em you don't get it. He was passing a point that shouldn't be seen in public, especially something as public as this. There are too many other Guardians around or even novices that would do anything to knock me out from spring trials after my field experience results"

"Oh I didn't realise"

"Its fine, he probably didn't until I snapped at him. I will apologise for it, just later when we're alone"

"Come on it looks like we're leaving" Emily walked off and pulled me with her and we followed everyone out to the cars.

I found Nikolaus standing there talking to Tanner and Todd, I pulled the keys out of my pocket and unlocked the car. Everyone else piled in and Nikolaus stayed out waiting for me to hand the keys over.

"I'm sorry" I spoke as soon as the last door was closed

"It's fine, just get in and we'll head back"

"Nikolaus"

"Just get in the car Dri"

"Fine" I spoke and it came out barely as a whisper.

It was a couple of nights later and I was struggling to sleep so I snuck out of my dorm and it was only moments later that Nikolaus had joined me, we didn't say anything at first I think we were both worried with how it was going. Neither of had spoken about how we snapped at each other on our field trip the other day and this was it.

I stretched and leaned back resting on my arms trying to soak in as much of the sun as I could. I still had some bruises from the paintballing but I was no longer in pain.

It was funny the next day seeing James' reaction when we all finally emerged from meals, I guess having Stefan, Emily, Carter and myself all thinking about the capture the flag and paintballing adventure with the Guardians he had no choice but to see and the look on his face was hilarious.

In the end he was a little upset he didn't get to come with us but there was nothing we could do, it was just for novices. We said maybe after we graduate depending on where everyone goes, we can do it as a group and it lifted his mood for a little bit.

"I'm sorry for being angry at you, I know now I went too far with my concern in public" Nikolaus finally spoke breaking the silence, I looked over at him and he was looking at me with curiosity. I wondered what he was hoping to get out of this.

"Its fine, I get it. You're allowed to be concerned and I shouldn't have snapped at you"

"You were exhausted and I went too far, you were worried about what could happen with everyone there"

"Yeah…"

"Dri what's wrong?"

"I need to tell you something and I honestly have no idea how you are going to take this"

"It can't be as bad as you telling me your old foster dad doing that stuff to you" Nikolaus leaned over and kissed the top of my head and I gave him a small smile.

"Alright well before I decided to tell Emily and Stefan we were talking and they kept asking if anything happened between us and they wouldn't believe me when I said no. In the end I said I made a move on you after we had that party during field experience and you kept me back but you pushed me away. Stefan told Jeremy as a joke thinking it wouldn't be a big deal but then Jeremy told the rest of our friends"

"You really messed up they could tell everyone"

"No, they're my friends. It's not like I told them something is actually happening, they just think I did a stupid drunk move and got chewed through it because of it. They said they won't tell anyone" I finally looked up at him and I could see pure anger written across his face.

"What about Belle, I know what she did to Emily you told me because she interrupted our session"

"I trust Belle and she feels really bad about what happened with Emily"

"You know if it gets out our relationship/friendship whatever people call this will get investigated, someone will watch our sessions or worse I will get pulled from them. We won't get a moment of peace Dri"

"Then we will deal with it if it happens, Belle said she wouldn't tell anyone. I trust her"

"Come on let's get you back inside"

"Nikolaus"

"Dri just go back inside, I can't deal with this right now"

"Fine" I was really worried with how badly this was going to go. Did I screw up in telling my friends about us?

I reluctantly stood up and followed him back towards the dorms fighting the tears the whole way until I was safely in my dorm.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As you can see they had paintballing planned for the rest of their trip.**

**Amorsagirl**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed my story and you saying that it is the best story that isn't in Rose or Dimitri POV and that I'm a great writer means a lot to me, so a big thank you!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I actually put a lot of thought into how they could confuse the Guardians and even now I believe there is so much that they could have done but I felt it was better to skip over the field trip.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It is actually, I've done something similar but in a school setting instead of a shopping centre. I can see where you might be coming from but the head gear wouldn't confuse them since the novices and Guardians were on different loops. As you can see the Guardians won and paintball was next, I know it's obvious for the Guardians to win but they have the upper hand of having more experience than the novices.**

**To the Guest who didn't leave a name**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you have still been reading my story, thank you for saying I have a creative and as to where I get my ideas I honestly have no idea they just come to me. I'm glad you think it's a page turner, I'm trying to not make it so obvious with somethings but other things so obvious people will look over it. I'm glad you enjoyed the game in the shopping centre, I wanted them to have a reward and some fun before they graduated. I'm glad you enjoy the relationship between Dri and Nikolaus, I've worked hard on their relationship mainly because I don't want it to be perfect because nothing is perfect, I want them to have their faults. As for chapter 100, I'm glad you think I've gone that far ahead but at this point in time the only thing I have planned for chapter 100 is a big game changer and it's something I've been planning since the beginning. Thank you for saying you've enjoyed it and that it is well written, it means a lot to me.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed my story, as for where it is going well at this point in time I'm just getting them to graduation and then it will take off again. The suspense is what I love, I love reading stories myself where they keep you wanting more because you want to know what happens but it isn't exactly a cliff hanger where you are desperate for the next update. Thank you for both following and favourite me.**


	88. Chapter 88

**Chapter 88**

Nikolaus POV

"Anastas, my office now" I was on edge the moment she addressed.

The way Alberta requested me to see was more formal then usual and I was worried. I wasn't sure what she needed to speak to me about, but I could definitely take a couple of guesses. When she shut her office door behind us, I was fairly certain that the conversation wouldn't be in my favour and I just hoped for Dri's sake, one of her friends didn't betray her.

"Please, take a seat."

I sat in the chair across from her, with her desk in between us. It didn't escape my notice that she refused to meet my eyes. After several tense and silent moments, she finally looked up and spoke.

"Here is what's going to happen. You are going to listen to everything I have to say on the matter, answer whatever questions I have honestly, and then you are going to make me a promise. Okay?"

I hesitantly agreed, knowing that I really didn't have any other choice.

"I know there is something more between you and Adrianna."

I opened my mouth to speak. I wasn't sure if it would be a denial or a defence, but it didn't matter because she raised her hand to stop me before I could begin.

"Please. I've seen it with my own eyes in the way you two act around each other. I've gotten to know her reasonably well in the time she has been here, I have noticed the difference in her the last few months and it didn't take long for me to realise that you were more than just a mentor to her. And you…you might have been inconspicuous in your affection for her but someone would need to be blind not to see how she changed you after you let her in. Nikolaus, you were angry and closed off when you first arrived here but there was something about her that drew you in, I saw the two of you talking in that same clearing before she was even a student, you were already different around her at that point. So please, don't insult me by denying it. I'm not here to condemn you because of it."

"You aren't?" this was either a surprising turn of events…or a dangerous set up.

"No. I can't really say that I'm pleased with the entire situation, it's hardly ideal, but you two seem to bring out the best in each other. More importantly, you make her happy and that is something that means something considering everything she has been through to get to this point in her life. However, I need to make sure you understand a few things."

I nodded, silently, still wary of the conversation.

"Have you ever encouraged or forced anything improper on her?" She asked her question with a calm demeanour but I knew that it was a façade hiding something much more deadly. Horrified that she felt the need to ask at all, I answered quickly.

"No. Never. I…"

"That's all I need to know on the subject. I don't want details. Just be sure that answer never changes."

I would never force Dri, or any other woman for that matter, to do anything against their will. I might not have grown up with sisters but I grew up with my female cousins and I became protective of them and when I found out Dri was raped by her old foster parent, I was furious and then when he turned up and seeing what he put her through. I would never do that to a women, let alone Dri.

"Have you considered what happens after graduation?" She pressed, continuing with her examination.

This time I looked away, Dri's graduation was like a looming dark storm cloud on the horizon. I still had no idea what was happening with my placement, there was a push to send me back out into the field but they were also hesitant increase another situation also happened and I couldn't help myself…

"The unknown is hard to determine, especially considering the trouble I am in for my actions but we both understand what it means to be a Guardian, we will work with what we are given"

"Then I guess all I can ask of you is that you don't hurt her, at least not any more than what can't be avoided. I don't envy the difficult situation you two find yourselves in, but I also understand how rare love still is for our kind." Alberta looked out the window and smiled for a second, as if savouring a precious memory if only for a moment. "I can't fault you two for loving one another, but promise me that you won't cause her more pain than joy."

"I swear it." The promise wasn't made for Alberta's sake, but for my own. I couldn't bare the thought of willingly causing any more pain to Dri if there was any other option.

"Thank you, now that that moment of déjà vu is over there is something else I need to ask"

"Déjà vu?"

"Yes I had this exact conversation with Dimitri when Rose was a student, not long after she had her first two kills"

It made me wonder if she was wondering if the two of them knew, or if they had even said something to her. "What is the other thing you need to ask?"

"Who actually knows what is going on? I don't want names if they are students or Guardians posted here."

"Rose and Dimitri know, Dimitri worked out that I had feelings towards Dri first and told Rose. Adrian's Guardian Shane knows about me having feelings but nothing else and a couple of Dri's friends know as well. A couple of the Guardians posted here have made jokes but I don't know if they know anything since they haven't had said so."

Alberta was quiet for a moment as if trying to work out if she could think of the names, I knew she would be able to work out which friends of Dri's would know what was going on, and any one would. But as for the other Guardians, I didn't know if she would.

Both Todd and Tanner have made jokes about my close relationship with Dri and made jokes about sometimes things get close and intense but they never said anything as to if they suspected something. They had made comments about her being hot but over the years that I have been here I have overheard them making comments about which senior girls were hot, it seemed to be common practise among the younger Guardians.

"Thank you, Nikolaus. You are free to go."

As my hand touched the door knob, Alberta awoke from her lost memories one last time with a final request. "Look after her, Nikolaus, she still has a lot to get over and I know she tries to prove she has passed it but something tells me it will be all brought up again soon, also please try to be a bit more subtle when you do."

I froze under the implication, but was reassured by her playful smirk. I responded with a quick nod and left to find Dri. I still needed to apologise for how I reacted to find out that her friends thought she made a drunk move and I gave her a lecture about it.

I understand she was trying to stop her friends from asking questions and it made sense to tell them something but I knew Belle gossiped, I've seen how it affected Emily and I didn't want it to get out about that kiss and now that Alberta knew something was going on, I was worried that our sessions would end along with my chances to spend time alone with Dri.

Our afternoon session was cancelled since Alberta requested me in her office so I had no idea where I would find Dri, I pulled out my phone and sent her a message.

_Are you able to sneak out tonight so we can talk?_

I headed back to my room in hopes of Dri saying yes to seeing me tonight and she didn't take long to reply.

_I can, but I thought you were mad at me._

_I was planning on apologising to you tonight but if me saying it now means you will come see me, then, I am sorry for how I reacted._

_It's fine, I will see you tonight xo_

It was later that night and I was sitting on the bench in the clearing, I knew once Dri snuck out I would get a call from the dorm matron informing that she had.

The call came and I informed her that I will handle it and get Dri back in her bed. It was only moments later that Dri had appeared and sat down next to me.

"Say it to my face," I looked over at her and she had a smile on her face, I knew she was messing with me and I didn't like it.

"I'm sorry for the way I reacted, I should have handled it better and listened to you and heard you out instead of snapping and taking you back to your dorm."

"Thank you and I am sorry for just spitting it out, I felt like you needed to know in case someone did say something and then it came back to you."

"I know and I understand and I appreciate you telling me, I'm glad I have the heads up just in case someone says something to me."

"Has someone?"

"No," I couldn't tell her that Alberta questioned me about the two of us, it wasn't needed and it would just worry her.

Dri needed to focus on getting to graduation and spring trials, she needed to do well in those and prove that her field experience wasn't just a onetime thing or being paired with a friend was a benefit for her.

"Are you still alright after everything that happened?"

Dri looked up at me and was shocked, I haven't really asked how she was handling everything since before field experience because she said she was fine but Alberta made a point, there were moments when I could see panic or fear flash through her eyes and I was worried. Even before the field trip the other day I could see how worried she was about leaving the safety of the wards.

"I'm fine, I've told you this."

"You were worried about leaving the grounds, you had trouble believing me when I told you that you would be fine."

"I know and I'm sorry for not believing you but…" she looked away from me and focused on something further out, I was worried now.

"But what Dri?"

"I just keep worrying that Jason is going to pop up out of nowhere, what if for some reason he now thinks I live here and not in Melbourne like I told him?"

"I know I said Michael wouldn't find you here but that was before I knew he was a Moroi. Jason is completely human and won't find you here, trust me on that." I leaned over and kissed her temple more than anything hoping she would turn and look at me but she didn't.

In fact she was silent for a few moments and the longer she stayed quiet the more I worried. "Dri please say something."

"What am I meant to say? I was raped and beaten by someone who was meant to look after me and then I get kidnapped by that same person because my blood is different and we are still yet to know what makes me different. I get it, I'm protected behind these wards and I know Alberta requested more Guardians for patrols but still it doesn't mean there aren't people lurking around waiting for me to leave the safety of the wards."

"I know and I get it but I thought you were passed this?"

"I'm passed my issues of being kidnapped and everything else that happened in that house, well as well as I can be but as for the unknown, it worries me. I don't know how many other people know about me and if they are waiting around for me? Am I going to be stuck behind wards for the rest of my life or am I going back to the humans?"

"I know Dri and I have no idea what to tell you, I don't know. I don't know what is different about you and I'm not the one to tell you that but I will always be here for you if you need someone to talk to."

"I know, I need to talk to dad about what is so special about me. Look I'm tired and need some sleep." I watched as Dri stood up and headed back towards the dorm.

I stood up and chased after. "Dri stop"

"What Nikolaus?"

"Talk to me, please." I pleaded with her and I could see her struggling between heading back inside and staying out here and talk to me.

"I don't know what to say alright, I'm scared about what could happen to me and you said yourself you don't know what to tell me."

"I know but it doesn't mean you can't voice your concerns with me."

"I know and I'm grateful but I am tired, I will talk to you if I need too." Dri gave me a smile before turning around and heading back to the dorm.

I knew then and there that I couldn't get any more out of her on this topic, I knew this was something she would have to talk to either her dad or James about. They were Spirit users and could explain it better than anyone else.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! First off I would like to point out that the scene between Nikolaus and Alberta was taken from Gigi256's story Frostbite: Dimitr's Point Of View. I changed it around to suit my story but other than that it is mostly her words and I felt it came out a lot better than what I was writing.**

**Gigi256 has written two amazing stories, Vampire Academy and Frostbite, both from Dimitri's POV and I believe if you haven't already read them then you should. I know for myself it fills the gaps from when I've gone I wondered what Dimitri did at this point or why he changed his mind and so forth.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes I know how much paintballing hurts but yet I've been on multiple occasions, call me crazy. It's why I make them argue, I hate reading stories about perfect couples because they don't exist. Thank you for recommending my story, it means a lot!**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters, as well as the ideas for the field trip. I never planned on having Dri keep that from him, he would have found out eventually. He may have overreacted but he is worried that someone will say something and this chapter just shows how he worries about it.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes it could be very disastrous if their relationship gets out.**

**Kiauna Gray**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. It's fine I understand everyone has busy lives but glad you are back and able to continue reading.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, I do have it planned out as to who everyone ends up with but you will have to wait and see what I have planned for my other character but thank you for your theories, I like to know what my readers think could be possible for the future of my characters.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I know she was sad about how he reacted and as you can see they are fine, fighting is normal in relationship and their harder than normal situation isn't helping.**


	89. Chapter 89

**A/N: Just to let everyone know there is a sex scene in this chapter, I have put notes at the beginning and the end to let either the younger readers or anyone who doesn't want to read it know.**

**Chapter 89**

Adrianna POV

Six weeks, six weeks was all I had left of my senior year, my education and my training to become a Guardian. Once the six weeks were up I would officially be a Guardian or would I? I still had no idea what was going to happen to me once I was a Guardian, I didn't know if I was going to be placed with a Moroi or just at a guarded property to call home in hopes I would protect a home better than a stranger.

The last month and a bit was insane, after my friends found out about how I made a move on Nikolaus things had been tense for a couple of days but it eventually went away and Belle kept to her promise about not telling anyone.

I still couldn't believe I was six weeks away from graduating, this time last year I was thinking that there was a chance I wouldn't make it this far but I proved everyone wrong by showing them I was good enough to make it to graduation, hell I was even rank the top novice during field experience.

Nikolaus had increased the intensity of my training sessions, we rarely did theory work now. He figured I may as well train my ass off to prove that I earned that top ranking spot during field experience and I deserved to keep it.

The beeping from my alarm pulled me from my thoughts, for once I had been awake before it. I had trouble sleeping again but at least for once I knew why, I returned to my dorm last night and found a letter on the floor. It was from Court and they were requesting me to turn up and be present for the trial, it was a combination of everyone who was involved in my kidnapping and I was also going on trial because I killed a Moroi, it didn't matter if he was meant to be in jail or not I had still killed someone and I needed to give my statement in Court.

I got up, got dressed and headed towards the gym for my session with Nikolaus, I knew he was planning on doing sparring this morning like we had been every other morning but I needed to run, I needed to clear my head and running helped.

When I entered the gym Nikolaus was setting up the practise dummies, now I really felt bad for wanting to ditch the plan we had been sticking for months now and it was working. "I want to go running"

"I figured you would want to take out your anger" I stared at him, I suppose it doesn't surprise me he got the same letter, he was at the house and he was the first one on the scene after the gun went off. He stepped forward and placed his hand on my cheek. "Dri..." he spoke softly, I could tell there was more he wanted to say but I didn't want to hear it.

I pulled away from him. "Don't, I just want to run" I turned around and took off out of the gym.

I began running around the grounds having no plan in mind about where I was going, I wasn't even going the usual pace. I was sprinting hoping the faster I go, I would be able to get these thoughts out of my head quicker. I was afraid of what was going to happen, would I be charge for killing Michael or will it be deemed an accident and the only punishment I will end up with is the one I've still got, the imagines of his body lying on the ground in my head.

Out of breathe I stopped and bent over resting my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath.

"Are you alright?" I turned around and faced Nikolaus, I would have had to be an idiot to not think he would follow me, he always does.

"Are fucking kidding me right now? I've been asked to go to Court to not only give my statement about Clary, Bradley or the other dhampirs I saw that never got names I also have to give my own statement for what the hell happened with Michael! How the fuck do you think I'm feeling?"

Nikolaus didn't say anything, he stepped closer to me and kissed me but for once that couldn't be the answer to everything. I pulled away from, I raised my hand and went to slap him but he grabbed my wrist and stopped me.

"Don't think about it" he growled while pushing me back, when my back hit something I finally looked around and noticed where we were, we were near the borders of the grounds chances are near one of the cabins. I pulled away from him and took off running again, I made it all the way back to the novice dorm before Nikolaus stopped me.

"Dri stop"

"No!" I pulled the door open and headed inside but all he did was grab my wrist and drag me into the back stairwell that never got used.

"Stop running away from me"

"You can't just kiss me and assume it will make everything better!"

"I know what's going to happen, I received the same letter. I have to go as well, I know what is going to be expected of you. It doesn't give you the right to try and slap me"

"YOU FUCKING KISSED ME!" I yelled, I couldn't take it, every bit of anger I had about everything was coming out and him kissing me when I didn't want him to didn't help

"Because I love you Dri or have you forgotten that, I know we don't have the most typical relationship and it's not something we both want but I'm still completely and utterly in love with you" I honestly hoped no one overheard us, I couldn't believe we were talking about this in the novice dorm

"It doesn't give you the right to kiss me when the hell you damn please!" I tried to pull out of his grasp but he tightened his grip

"Please stop fighting me, I understand what you're going through. I get it, you're worried about what could happen to you, I've been there. After what happened for me to end up here I had to sit there in front of the council and tell them what happened, I understand Dri. Please stop fighting me" I couldn't understand how he was so calm about this, there was a chance I could get charged with killing Michael.

"But I killed him, I could get sent to prison for his death"

"Dri it was self-defence, they can't charge you with anything" he spoke softly before leaning over and softly pressing his lips against my forehead, I don't know why that worked but all of the anger I had about everything slipped away.

"But what if they do" I couldn't help it, I was so scared about what was going to happen to me instead of having to live through those moments again.

"They won't, if I didn't get charged with anything I doubt you will"

"But you didn't kill anyone"

"You did in self-defence, I beat up a Moroi in blind rage, there is a difference between the two. Now am I allowed to kiss you or are you going to try and slap me again?"

"I'm really sorry about that"

"It's fine, maybe I shouldn't have kissed you to shut you up" his hands moved from my wrists and he cupped my face before leaning down to kiss me.

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck deepening the kiss, this was about the time when I gripped his hair with a hand and he would normally pull away but this time he didn't, instead he slowly slid his hands down my sides. When he reached my thighs, he tightened his gripped and lifted me up and I automatically wrapped my legs around his waist.

His lips left mine and at first I was disappointed, I thought he was pulling away but instead he ended up making a trail down my cheek, jaw and neck. "Wait..." I breathed out.

"What is it?" he rest his forehead against mine

"Are we really going to do this?"

"Have sex? Yes, you're the one that's suggested it at least once a week for the past who knows how long"

"Who would have thought you would lose your control but maybe we should go somewhere else" I smirked at him but he didn't say anything in reply except kiss me again.

He let go of my legs and then I dropped down from him almost expecting this to convince him we were doing the wrong thing but instead all he did was grabbed my hand and pull me up to the top floor where the Guardians stay. He kept pulling me down the hallway to what I assumed was his room, as soon as we were inside he picked me up again.

I tightened the grip I had of my legs around his waist and pulled my lips away from his while making my way along his jaw and neck.

"No hickeys Dri" I pulled back from his neck and smiled at him.

"You can talk, I had the hickeys last time. Dad thinks that what we fought about"

"Uhuh, now shut up" he smirked before kissing me again.

I unwrapped my legs and climbed down him so we were able to help undress each other. Once we were both naked he picked me up and carried me over to the couch that was closer than the bed before kissing me again. His kisses weren't like they usually were, filled with love, these were filled with hunger, passion and desire.

**A/N: Just a note the following is a sex scene and should only be read by those who are of age.**

The memories I had of the last time we did this wasn't doing it justice, him kissing my body and running his hands along me was nothing compared to what I remembered, it was ten times better. I was quietly moaning as Nikolaus was softly running his fingers along my body while trailing kisses down at the same time, I shivered under his touch. It wasn't until he started kissing my thighs purposely avoiding my vagina that I started to squirm.

"Patience Dri" have I ever mentioned how much I love his Greek accent but even more so when his voice was husky like this, it was incredibly hot.

When his tongue finally entered me I was so wound up that it didn't take long until I felt my stomach tighten, he knew exactly what to do with his tongue and I loved it.

When I finally came he stayed with his head and cleaned everything up before he began slowly making his way back up. He rested his forehead against mine when we were face to face, I leaned up and kissed him hoping to increase the intensity again.

He didn't need much encouragement to increase it, I flipped us on the couch so I was on top of him straddling his lap. He had his hands gripped tightly on my hips trying to guide them so he could easily slid into me, once he was in a groan escaped his lips.

We moved in sync constantly fighting for dominance, at one point we had in fact fallen off the couch resulting in us laughing before Nikolaus jumped on me and pinned me down. Once he had my hands pinned I was unable to flip us, leaving him in control of everything.

I felt my stomach clench and my moans became more frequent, Nikolaus could tell I was close and he reached down to rub my clit to help me to the edge. When my orgasm hit he came with me and then proceeded to collapse on the floor beside me.

**A/N: That is the end of the sex scene.**

I was lying there in his arms with neither of us saying anything trying to catch our breaths when I was starting to get cold, I pulled out of his arms and sat up in hopes of finding a blanket or something.

"Where are you going?" he sat up and placed an arm around my waist to pull me back against him.

"To look for a blanket, it's getting cold"

"Dri we can't stay in here forever, we should actually get dressed and continue on with the day" I turned around in his arms so I could look him in the eyes

"Why? Why can't we just spend the rest of the day in here? You've made jokes about running away before"

"Because it's not that simple Dri, I know you said you wouldn't have to run away but I do. I either lose you or you lose everyone except me, there's no in between"

"I wish there was" I leaned forward and rested my head against his chest and he tightened his arms around me.

"I know, I love you Dri"

"I love you too" I leaned up and kissed him in hopes of a round two but he pulled away. "I see your self-control has returned"

"Just get dressed" he smiled before kissing my cheek.

"Alright, alright I'll get dressed"

Once I was dressed I looked over at him and realised he was still sitting on the floor, he hadn't even moved. "See something you like?" I smirked at him and it seemed like he came out of whatever thoughts he was in.

"Always"

"Do I see someone's control slipping?" I winked at him before I bent over and picked my phone up. I heard him groan and when I turned around he was lying back down on the ground with his hands over his face.

I looked at my phone and noticed the time and all the missed calls and unread messages. "Fuck..." Nikolaus instantly sat up and starred at me. "We've been in here longer than we thought, it's already first period"

"Just go back to your dorm, try not to get caught. Join them for second period, I will tell your teachers you weren't feeling well and I sent you back to your room"

"Alright, I'll see you later" I smiled at him as I turned and left his room hoping to make it back to my dorm without anyone noticing me.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Alexc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It would be interesting to see what Alberta thinks, wouldn't it? I love Gigi's stories from Dimitri's POV and I can't wait until the next one is finally up. I'm surprised I have this creativity, I used to struggle in high school when I had to write creative stories but I'm doing surprisingly well considering how long this story is.**

**Dhruvharshita**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I was hoping the beginning of the previous chapter would have everyone on edge, it's why I wanted it in there especially before this chapter. I always wanted them to have their sessions because it makes it easier to write scenes between the two of them but it does make me wonder how it would have been if their sessions for cancelled or being watched.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I knew a few people would recognise it hence why I asked for her permission and gave her credit for it.**

**Amorsagirl**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Thank for saying all of that in your review. As for the stolen moments between Dri and Nikolaus, I try to when I can. It's hard when I can't focus every chapter on them, I need to put some in with her friends as well.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and that was my hope with that scene between Nikolaus and Alberta, I wanted to worry people but also have it resolved in the same chapter.**


	90. Chapter 90

**Chapter 90**

Adrianna POV

I only just made it to second period on time and I slid into the group beside Emily, she shot me a look and I mouthed later at her hoping she would forget. I still hadn't gotten around to reading the messages I had on my phone but I knew they would be along the lines of where are you, why are you missing breakfast, why aren't you in class and mostly likely from Stefan, are you and Nikolaus having sex. He would get a kick out of knowing that for once that's what we were doing.

Emily didn't get a chance to ask where I was until lunch but Stefan beat her too it, he practically asked the question as he sat down at the table.

"Where the hell were you during breakfast?"

"Stef she wasn't in first period either" he looked at me and his jaw dropped

"Don't tell me you two actually did it"

"Fine I won't" I shrugged and began eating

"YOU DIDN'T!" they both yelled together and this time I stared at him

"Could you two yell any louder?" James spoke as he sat down at the table

"Did you know those two had sex this morning?" Stefan looked at James and James dropped his fork before staring at me

"Don't even think about it" I warned him

"Wasn't going too, I don't exactly want to see that a second time. I was just hoping something on your face would tell me he was lying but now I think for once he was telling the truth"

"Nope he is telling the truth, we got a bit side tracked and I missed breakfast and first period"

"I was wondering where you were this morning"

"Dri fancy seeing you here, I thought you would miss lunch like breakfast"

"Oh shut it Jer" I narrowed my eyes at him as he sat down beside James but all he did was flash me a smile

"Seriously where were you this morning?"

"I wasn't feeling well, I didn't even stay long for my session. Nikolaus sent me back to my dorm and I felt better just before second period so I went back to classes"

"Maybe you're pregnant" he smirked at me

"Yes actually I am Jer and I was hoping I could tell James before anyone else but you ruined it" that got him, his mouth fell opened and everyone laughed at him. "It was a joke Jer, I'm not having sex with anyone"

"Anyone that could get you pregnant, maybe you're having sex with Stefan or Carter?"

"Anyone period Jer, what is it with you, James and Stefan about sex lately? You and Stefan are constantly off screwing anything that walks and has boobs while James is constantly talking about it. Maybe you two should get him laid so maybe he stops"

"Actually..." Stefan started

"Don't, I don't want to hear it" Emily put her hand up to shut Stefan up

"Hey where's Belle" James piped it not wanting to talk about his lack of sex life

"She's sitting over there with Lucas and his friends"

"Which you could tell anyway, why can't we try and get you laid James?" James glared at me knowing full well it was my fault the boys had this idea planted in their head. I looked at Emily and we both smiled while listening to the boys trying to convince James to let them help get him laid.

"Hey Dri since you want James to get laid so bad why don't you do it?"

"Actually I just might, James you wanna skip fifth period and go have sex?"

"Sure why not?" James shrugged and I was happy to see I got Jeremy again.

"Seriously, you wouldn't have sex with me but you would with him?"

"Aww is Jeremy jealous because I'm probably the only the girl who won't have sex with him?" I grinned at him

"Emily hasn't had sex with him"

"Actually..." Stefan's head snapped around so fast to stare at Emily in shock that I wouldn't be surprised if he had whiplash.

I had known the two of them had had sex, Emily came to me straight away. There was a party a couple of weeks back and the two of them were drunk and apparently one thing led to another, I laughed at her not completely believing her that it had happened but when I saw the look on her face I noticed she wasn't messing with me.

Everything was fine between them since but I was just surprised it happened in the first place. Yes before Jeremy and I dated we flirted a lot but nothing happened, same with Emily, it was like there was an unspoken agreement between all of us that we wouldn't do that sort of thing in case it ruined friendships and Jeremy and I dating almost did.

"I can't believe it, you two actually had sex?"

"Yeah"

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't tell anyone" I kept my mouth shut knowing Stefan would be angry if he knew I knew, in fact I don't think Jeremy knew that I knew.

"Fine" Stefan grumbled while crossing his arms to have a tantrum like a two old.

"Right back to my original statement, Jeremy's jealous because I'm the only girl that won't have sex with him"

"I can name a few" he grinned at me

"That you want to have sex with then smartass" I rolled my eyes at him

"Who says I want to have sex with you Dri?"

"So you're telling me that if I asked if you wanted to skip fifth period and go have sex you would say no"

"Alright fine so I wouldn't say no to having sex with you but you haven't had sex with anyone and graduation is almost here"

"Maybe there's no one here I want to have sex with?"

"Oh really so you are completely different from every other female here?"

"What's that meant to mean?"

"Everyone and I mean every single one of the female seniors have made a comment about wanting to have sex with Anastas, are you saying you don't?" both James and Emily and choked on their food and I knew why.

"Of course I would but the point is he's a teacher but after graduation he's fair game" I smirked at him and he knew then and there it was a losing battle but instead I felt someone's foot snake their way up my leg. Jeremy had done this when we were dating, I put my hand under the table and hit his foot away.

"Don't Jeremy"

"Jeremy just drop it, Dri won't have sex with you. She won't have sex me either"

"Yeah but at least you've had her in your bed before" both Stefan and I stared at Jeremy, how the hell did he know that.

"What are you on about?"

"Summer before freshman year, Lindsay started those rumours about her being in some royals room. I know it was you Stefan, I was at Court that summer and that same party. I saw the two of you"

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Figured you two didn't remember seeing me, so I know you two have had sex before"

"Jeremy you're really losing it, we didn't have sex. We both passed out from drinking too much"

"Seriously?"

"Yes, don't tell me all this time you've been bitter about the fact that you thought I had sex with Stefan but wouldn't have sex with you?"

"Maybe a little..."

"Jeremy you're such an idiot, we had that conversation when we were dating. I told you I wasn't ready, what was the reason you told yourself that I wouldn't have sex with you?"

"No clue"

"Is that..."

"Why I cheated? No, I stand by what I said to you. I was drunk and did something stupid, I thought we were passed this"

"We are I just wanted to make sure"

"Anyway!" James said loudly trying to get the focus off Jeremy and I, things maybe almost back to normal but we did have moments like this. "Who is excited for the party on the weekend? Apparently all the seniors are going to be there, it's meant to be as big as the one after the dance"

Right, this weekend was also the same weekend I had to fly back to Court for the trial. "I won't be there, I have to go back to Court this weekend"

"What why?"

"They're finally having the trial for everything that happened and I have to be there"

"How come you have to be there or why couldn't they wait until after graduation?"

"I have to be there because I was involved and have to give my statements on everyone that kept me hostage as well as giving my statement about what happened with Michael"

"Wait are you saying you're going on trial for his death?" I ignored Jeremy and looked at my plate.

"She is, it won't be that bad Dri, didn't your brothers go home with you last year?"

"Yeah they did but I don't think dad wants them there for this one, it's bad enough Matt knows I was fed off. Dad doesn't want Nate to know the extent of what happened so I think they're staying here to be safe"

"It won't be as bad as you think it will be"

"Hopefully, I have to get a book from my dorm before class. I'll see you all then" I got up from the table and headed towards the doors.

On my way out I caught sight of Nikolaus, he looked at me but I slightly shook my head hoping he wouldn't follow me before I exited the cafeteria. I made it back to my dorm without being bugged by Nikolaus or one of my friends that decided to follow me. I sat there on my bed trying to calm down, I had gotten worked up again since I had to tell my friends that I had to go to Court for this stupid trial.

Just as I picked up the book I needed there was a knock on my door. "I told you I would meet you..." I started as I opened the door but stopped when I saw it was Nikolaus standing there.

"Was it really necessary to follow me here?" I spoke as I moved aside so he could come in.

"I wanted to make sure you were alright" he reached out and caressed my cheek

"It wasn't needed, you shouldn't have followed me. What if someone noticed you come up here, I get that only a couple of us sleep on this floor but still its risky"

"And right now I'm more worried about you"

"I thought you would be worried about being alone with me after what happened this morning?" I stood up on my toes so our faces were closer

"Are you saying you don't want a round two Dri?" he whispered in my ear before kissing my neck causing me to groan and step away from him and lay back on my bed.

I watched as he walked closer to me and rested his hands beside me on my bed and he hovered above me. "What are you doing?" I raised eye brow at him and questioned his actions.

"Why does it seem like your skirt is shorter than normal today" I did not like the look on his face as he softly ran his fingers up my legs.

"Probably because it is but I should really get to class, I can't go skipping more classes. Oh you know when I told Jeremy that I missed breakfast and first period because I wasn't feeling well he said maybe it was because I was pregnant"

"Lucky for us you can't get pregnant" he was still running his fingers along my legs and as much as I was enjoying it, I also wasn't considering I couldn't skip more classes.

"Alright seriously what is going on with you?" I smiled at him as I pushed him off me

"Nothing, I was just trying to make you smile. I was trying to be sweet and caring but you kept brushing me off"

"And if that didn't work?"

"I have other ways but you should really get to class"

"I should, I will see you this afternoon. I love you" I quickly kissed him before getting off my bed

"I love you too" I flashed him another smile as I left him alone in my room.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I loved the beginning of your review, I admit it was highly anticipated for the two of them to have sex again and they finally got there. I'm glad you enjoyed the scene but I can assure you that no one over heard them in the stairwell mainly because I don't plan on it getting out like that. As you can see Dri missing breakfast and first period did raise questions with her friends and the only one who didn't know the truth was Jeremy and he took the lie easily enough. As for their afternoon session, I'm not covering it but I did put in this little scene between the two of them in her dorm. As for the two of them being able to spend the day in bed together, it is very likely they will get that in the future.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Dri finally got laid, I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**Amorsagirl**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved it.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes there was a sex scene, Nikolaus control isn't perfect and he had to lose it at some point. I don't think that law was ever in placed because even Victor or was a royal and in line to be the next king was still charged with after what he did to Lissa.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. The trial was kind of pushed aside for a while but now it's back and it has Dri on edge as to what could happen to her.**


	91. Chapter 91

**Chapter 91**

Adrianna POV

"Miss Ivashkov are you sure you only recognise Bradley Shaw, Roman Hobbs and Clary Baber?" Prince Conta spoke.

I had been sitting here answering all the questions they had come up with for the trial, turns out Roman Hobbs was the dhampir that I saw come in and hold me down when Bradley fed off me but there was also more people in that house than I realised, I couldn't believe both times I managed to escape that room I barely saw anyone.

All the humans were handed over to these Alchemist people that were mentioned to be dealt with while my own people dealt with the dhampirs and Moroi that were involved.

"Yes those three are the only people I recognise; I only saw a total of seven different people. Two of them are dead and I heard that two of them were handed over to the Alchemist"

"Very well, now let's talk about what happened between you and Mr Voda" I took a deep breath and tore my gaze from Prince Conta and looked at Nikolaus.

This was the part I was dreading the most, would I get charged with something or would it just be deemed self-defence and I could go on my way? Everyone kept saying that I would be fine and I wouldn't be charged with anything, well everyone except the one person who had a say in my sentencing. Lissa hadn't said anything about it, in fact I didn't see her at all when I turned up last night. Christian was there along with Rose and Dimitri to greet us when we got off the plane but Lissa wasn't and the same again for breakfast, we all had a big family style breakfast together but Lissa wasn't present. It was like she was avoiding me and it scared me.

"Where would you like me to begin?"

"When you arrived in the woods"

"Very well, by the time I reached the woods I was exhausted, they had been starving and feeding off me beforehand. So I climbed a tree to hide in hopes he would give up searching for me but then he started threatening my family"

"How?"

"He said he was going to send another Strigoi out to get them or even more of the boosted humans and dhampirs to get them behind the wards. My family mean everything to me so I jumped down to confront him"

"Or it's the Guardian in you wanting to protect the Moroi?"

"I didn't realise my Guardian abilities were put on trial as well but just so you know he didn't just threaten the Moroi in my life, he also threatened Guardian Hathaway and Belikov" Nikolaus was the only one that knew he was threatened as well

"They're not, it was just a statement. What happened once you jumped down and confronted him?"

"We were circling while he was throwing taunts at me, I had to be careful about how I attacked him since I had no weapons and was already low on strength and stamina"

"And what happened once he pulled the gun out?"

"That's when I was worried, I knew I could have eventually taken him when he was without a weapon as well but I was defenceless against a gun unless I took it from him. Even now I'm not sure if he knew how to use since he didn't take a shot, I saw an opening to make a grab for the gun and I did but with me being weak and him having some strength behind him it was a struggle"

"That was when it went off?"

"Yes, I still don't know who pulled the trigger, it all happened so fast before it went off but once it did. It felt like everything was in slow motion, neither of us dropped at first so I didn't know who was shot but then his body dropped and I let out a scream before dropping the gun"

"And that was when Guardian Anastas appeared?"

"Yes"

"Very well, you may return to your seat"

"Thank you Prince Conta" I stood up from the seat to return to the one I had in between Dimitri and Nikolaus

"Just breathe Dri" Nikolaus whispered as I sat down.

How he knew I was angry, I didn't know. Maybe it came back to the whole we know each other better than the other person thinks they do. It was bad enough I had to explain everything in great detail about what happened but I also had my motives about my I came out of hiding to protect my family questioned. It didn't matter if they were Moroi or dhampir, I loved my family either way.

Since I was the first one to get up and speak I had to sit there and listen to everything everyone else had to say, whether they were trying to get me out or keep me there. The longer the day went on the worse my worries got.

It wasn't until Nikolaus was asked to go up that I was worried about what would happened, we both knew that when it came to each other our instincts to protect the Moroi first were slipping. We hoped that he could say he did check to see if Michael was alive but when the other Guardians got on the stand before him we released it was no use, he would have to explain why he didn't check the Moroi first.

"What happened after you instructed Guardian Jordan to take Miss Barber back to the cars?"

"We split up, half going upstairs half going downstairs, she said that she had come from upstairs and didn't see Adrianna up there, just everyone else"

"What if she had been lying, trying to feed you into a trap? You said yourself that you spilt up"

"We were taking the risk, she looked troubled and upset. I believed her and the risk paid off"

"Very well, what happened then?"

"We heard downstairs and saw the window that Adrianna had smashed in, when we made it outside we didn't know which direction to go. Just as I was about to radio for backup I heard a scream and a gunshot, I admit it was another reckless move when I took off towards the noise but I wasn't alone and I had backup"

"What happened when you reached Miss Ivashkov?"

"I noticed her standing there freaking out while covered in blood with the gun and the body on the ground"

"Now why didn't you check the body? We know from reports that it was Michael Voda, a royal Moroi and we also heard that you were more focused on Miss Ivashkov" this was the moment we had been dreading, we didn't know how this was going to play out. Would they believe whatever he came up with or would they then begin to question what is happening between us?

"Going into that house Adrianna was our main focus, she was the one that was being held hostage. I briefly looked over the body and could tell there was no breathing coming from it and the amount of blood made me think they were dead. After that I was more concerned about Adrianna, she had blood all over her and I wasn't sure if she was hurt or not"

"What about after it was deemed that she wasn't injured?"

"That was when she was relieved to see someone she recognised, I could tell she was freaking out and I just wanted to try and calm her down but when I was closer to her she threw herself at me and that was when she broke down. Not long after that Guardian Hathaway and Guardian Belikov turned up, Guardian Hathaway was the one that checked the body"

Prince Conta was quiet for too long, I was beginning to worry about whether or not they would believe Nikolaus or would they believe that something is actually going on between the two of us. Prince Conta was continuing to look at the files he had in his hands not saying anything.

Prince Conta finally looked up at Nikolaus. "Very well return to your seat," I didn't realise I was holding my breath until he spoke and I let it out. Nothing further was questioned about our friendship, so obviously it wasn't of concern.

"Thank you Prince Conta" Nikolaus nodded at him before getting up aand walking over to where I was sitting.

As soon as Nikolaus sat down next to me he gave my hand a quick squeeze before acting like everything was fine but it wasn't. I was still freaking out, I had no idea what was going to happen to me and if now they were beginning to wonder if anything was happening between us.

As soon as everyone had given their statements we were all asked to leave the room so the council could make their decisions about everyone who was on trial.

When we returned it was time to hear what the council thought in terms of everyone's sentencing. I was pleased to hear every single one of the Moroi and dhampirs that helped keep me hostage were sentenced to prison but I was disappointed to hear that Clary's mum was also sentence because she helped break Michael out in the first place. I was happy to hear that Clary wasn't sentenced to prison, her mother was the one that helped her. She said that they had originally kidnapped Clary and she only helped Michael because she was told she would get Clary back.

"Miss Ivashkov in the trial of the death of royal Michael Voda, we deem guilty in the act of self-defence" my heart literally dropped when I heard Lissa say guilty but in the act of self-defence? What did that mean exactly, was I going to be charged and have a punishment dealt out or not. "As for any form of punishment for Miss Ivashkov, I along with the council feel that given her history with this particular Moroi there won't be any repercussions for what happened. That is all court dismissed" with that Lissa stood up and left the courtroom.

I was completely shocked, I had been charged with killing Michael in self-defence but there was no punishment for it. I didn't even move at first, I stayed there in the seat.

"Come on Adrianna, we will meet up with your dad and then go find Ellie" I looked up at Dimitri and nodded before looking at Nikolaus.

"It's alright, I will find you later" he gave me a small smile before turning around and slipping out through the mass of people.

I followed Dimitri to go look for dad, during these court sessions dhampirs sit at the back while the Moroi sat in the front, it's how it is always with any function. Whereas Rose had to get up and leave as soon as Lissa stood up and left the session.

"I told you that you had nothing to worry about last night Dri" dad spoke as he gave me a hug, he was talking to some other royals I hadn't seen before.

"Mhmm, can I see Clary now?"

"What is your fascination with the girl that helped keep you locked up, the only reason she got off was because both her and her mother said she was kidnapped not long before you"

"It's alright Adrian, I can take her" Dimitri spoke and I could see the anger pass through dad's eyes. I might not blame Clary for what happened to me but it was obvious that dad did.

"Thank you Dimitri" I looked up at him and gave him a smile

"Dri" Dad warned me but I really didn't want to hear it. It was the same story I had heard countless times before, dad always went on about how Clary was keeping me there but now knowing that Clary was held there I thought maybe he would change his tune.

"Dad I just want to make sure she's alright, she was held hostage just like me"

"It's not needed though"

"Don't start on this again. Come on Dimitri I want to go now"

I didn't let them say anything else as I turned and left the courtroom and waited for Dimitri outside, even though I know where Clary was being kept I wasn't allowed access. Dimitri eventually came out but didn't say anything to me as he led the way. We had to wait outside until Clary was allowed out.

"Adrianna what are you doing here?" when I heard Clary's voice I spun around and came face to face with her ignoring whatever Dimitri had said.

"I wanted to make sure you were alright, I had no if you were alright after everything that happened. No one would tell me anything, all I knew is that you were locked up and I couldn't see you"

"I have to head back Adrianna, are you going to be alright?" I looked over at Dimitri, he was putting his phone away, I didn't even realise he had walked off.

"Yes Dimitri thank you" I gave Dimitri a smile and we both watched him walk away. "How about we go outside and get some fresh air and we can talk?"

"I would like that a lot, I've never been to Court before"

We both headed outside and at first no one said anything until we had taken a seat in one of the gardens.

"I don't know how to say this and it's probably too late but I'm sorry for my part in everything" I looked over at her, I never blamed her for what happened. I honestly thought she was doing what she was told to get her mother back.

"I never blamed you Clary, if the situation was reversed I would do what I could to get my family back"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am, don't tell me you've spent this whole time worrying about what I thought?"

"Maybe" she shrugged a little before looking away from me.

"Clary do you know why they wanted us?"

"Yes I do now, I was finally allowed to see my mother and she explained what they planned to do. It's why I wanted to make sure you didn't think bad of me, it was then I realised that both of us would have been killed"

"Do you know what else is different about us?"

"My mother's only heard rumours about what could be different, our blood being used to make a Strigoi was one"

"What were the others? I need to know, I hate not knowing what is so different. It's why the session was closed, they figured the less amount of people who knew about us the better"

"I understand that I do but I honestly don't know. Some of the rumours were that we could possibly get pregnant to humans and dhampirs but until recently it was frowned upon for Guardians to get together, others were that apparently we change the effect of a silver stake same as Spirit using Moroi do, if our blood is used properly it can have healing properties. I honestly don't know how much of this is true though"

"You haven't come across a Strigoi?"

"Not until I was taken, I graduated last year and my mother requested me as her Guardian and we hadn't come across any but I was assured by the other Guardians and the Moroi that the Strigoi wouldn't cause any harm to me. They didn't even feed off me like they did you"

"I think we might be able to change the affect the silver stake has on them, I could be wrong though since I've only come across one Strigoi but when I scratched him with the stake it was weird. I understand that they do feel pain because of them but this was different, it was weird almost like he was overreacting to the pain"

"That is weird but until you can see someone else scratch a Strigoi with the stake, we won't know, or even you come across another one and they react differently"

"I know, I just hoped you had an idea instead of just theories" I could have lied and said I was fine with just knowing theories but I wasn't, I wanted to know exactly what was different about me or if anything was different at all but no one knew and it was starting to bug me

Before Clary could say anything my phone rang and I saw it was Nikolaus. "Sorry I have to take this" she just nodded at me and I got up and walked away to answer it.

"Hello"

_"Hey how are you feeling after everything?"_

"Just more confused"

_"Why?"_

"I'll tell you another time"

_"Who are you with?"_

"Clary why?"

_"Just curious, do you know if Adrian wants you home tonight?"_

"No why?"

_"What would you say if I could plan a date for us?"_

"Seriously?" my heart jumped at the idea of having an actual date with him instead of the only time I spent with him was during our sessions.

_"If that's something you would want"_

"What about dad though?"

_"How often does he come down to the Guardian area?"_

"He rarely spends most of his time here so I don't know, it would be because of Rose and Dimitri unless I've gotten up to something with Emily and Stefan and he wants to talk to their mums"

_"Alright, I'll try and organise something and I will send you the details later"_

"That's fine, I can't wait"

_"I love you Dri"_

"You too"

_"Meaning she can hear you"_

"Yes she can"

_"Bye Dri"_

"Bye" I hung up the phone and walked back to where Clary was standing.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah it was just some friends asking how things went that's all"

"Fair enough"

"Listen Clary I have to head back home but I'm sure they will sort something out for you while you're here"

"I should go anyway, I get to see my mum before she gets taken away and they have sorted a place to live for the time been"

"I'm glad, if you ever hear any more about what makes us different let me know. Both Guardian Hathaway and Belikov know how to contact me and they live here, as well as knowing about why we were taken so you can trust them"

"I will and thanks Adrianna"

"No problem Clary and I'm sorry about your mum"

"Thanks" I stood up and left her sitting there on the bench unsure if what she said was true about having somewhere to live.

As for everything else she told me to do with how my blood was different I had no idea what to think, I didn't want to think about the possibility of being able to get pregnant from having sex with Nikolaus but I was fine the first time we had sex so surely that one couldn't be true.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed Emily and Stefan's reaction, I try to keep James out of what's going on as much as I can since it's Dri, Emily and Stefan that are best friends and I'm trying to get James to have better control over Spirit. I'm glad you thought that was funny, I couldn't help myself but put it in since the two of them were awkward after James pulled forward the memories from when Dri and Nikolaus first had sex. Yes I know Emily slept with Jeremy, it is interesting isn't it? I'm so sorry about that, I guess in my head when I read over the chapters I know who is saying what and it makes sense to me but I will be editing my futures to make those changes, hopefully this chapter will make sense since most of the time it is only Dri talking with someone else and that's it. Yes Dri and Nikolaus in her dorm, definitely risky but he was hoping to make her smile and it worked. Dri being pregnant due to Spirit in her blood? It is an outrageous idea.**

**Guest**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot. Yes Nikolaus and Dri finally had sex again. Adrian does find out eventually but for now there is so much else going on and you will get to read it. It's fine, at least you are reviewing now.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. This chapter is only part one of Court, I have three chapters planned out for it and I'm sure everyone will love the next one. As for what happens after graduation, I have it planned out for everyone. As I said to someone else that questioned about whether or not Dri could fall pregnant because her blood is different, it is an outrageous idea.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes that was pretty much the gist of the conversation but there were some key plot points as well, read back over it and see if you can pick them up.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As always I'm glad you are enjoying my story and updates.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes I suppose that is true and as you can see Dri wasn't given any punishment for the death of Michael.**


	92. Chapter 92

**Chapter 92**

Adrianna POV

So here I am standing in the middle of one the gardens waiting for Nikolaus, he sent me a message not long after getting off the phone to him saying that he had everything worked out with some help and that I was to meet to him in this garden 10 minutes ago. I was confused since he was always on time, the only time I ever turned up before him was when I was early to our sessions. I hadn't seen an instance of him being late and I was worried, I had even pulled my phone out to check the time and for messages from him but I still didn't have anything from him.

"I'm so sorry I'm late" I heard Nikolaus speak before he wrapped his arms around my waist and kiss my head

"You've never been late before" I twisted around in his arms to face him

"I know and I'm sorry Dri but you look beautiful" he pulled away from me and linked his fingers with mine and I finally got a good look at him.

I was so used to seeing him in the Guardians usual black and white attire or the training clothes during our sessions but seeing him now in something as simple a pair of jeans and a nice shirt was a good look on him, it made him look even more handsome than he already was and I couldn't believe I was this lucky to have him.

"You don't look so bad yourself, where are we going?" he looked over at me and I flashed him a smile, he shook his head before pulling me back in for a hug.

"Is that all you can say?"

"Would you like me to say you look incredibly handsome or incredibly sexy dressed like that and I prefer it so much more than the black and white Guardian clothes I'm used to?"

"Yes very much so"

"Then I said it" I grinned at him as I leaned up to press my lips against his

"Come on, I have a surprise for you" I couldn't help the smile that appeared at that thought.

Things had been hard between the two of us pretty much all year, first it was because we had sex and things were awkward. Then I fell for him and I thought things were awkward because of that but once both of our feelings had come out that was when things become hard. At first we tried to act like nothing happened, we tried to act like we didn't feel the way we did but all it led to was stolen kisses as well as glances here and there.

But it seemed as though things had changed since Nikolaus' mother had been killed, it was almost like before than we were trying to fight our feelings and stay to what we have been taught. Afterwards it seemed as though we could no longer deny our feelings and we were giving into them more often, there were more stolen glances, more stolen kisses, more teasing comments or even teasing actions and hell the other day after so many months we couldn't control ourselves anymore and we ended up skipping our morning session and most of first period to have sex.

But that entire thing aside nothing like this had happened, technically this was a first date and him saying he had a surprise seemed to be worth the wait. I just hoped it was worth everything we were going to have to go through once I graduated.

"You know you could just tell me what the surprise is"

"Now where is the fun in that and don't even think about pouting or frowning or anything else you can think of to try and soften me up. Just let me do this for you" he kissed my temple before linking his fingers through mine and leading me to whatever he had planned.

It wasn't until we reached the Guardian guest housing that I looked over at him. "God I love that face on you"

"What face?"

"The one you make when you're highly confused, it's adorable" I pulled a face at him but he just laughed at me

"Almost as adorable when you're jealous" I grinned at him but he looked out ahead of us

"I don't get jealous"

"Oh come on, you can't tell me that not once during the six weeks where I had to spend six days a week with Jeremy you weren't a tiny bit worried that he was going to try and win me back?"

"Nope"

"I call bullshit, even before the field experience started you said you were worried he was going to try and win me back"

"Damn I was hoping you forgot about that" he finally looked at me and I grinned

"And I've told you before, you don't have to worry about Jeremy. Now what are we doing here? We could just as easily be seen here"

"The surprise is in my room and we won't be seen, there are hardly any visiting Guardians. Now do you trust me?"

"Of course I do why" but he didn't reply, all he did was place a hand over my eyes. "Why are you doing this?" I wasn't exactly a fan of having my eyes covered like this, it felt like I was out of control.

"Just calm down Dri, it will be fine" I didn't say anything in reply but I heard a door open and he placed a hand on my waist and guided me inside.

When Nikolaus removed his hand from my eyes I was shocked by the scene in front of me, it was stunning. There were candles spread all over the room giving it an romantic feel, it was beautiful and I couldn't believe he had arranged this. I turned around and faced him with a huge smile on my face.

"I'm guessing you like it?" he sounded so worried and it was cute, did he honestly not know if I would like this or not.

"Are you kidding me its perfect, thank you" I leaned up and wrapped my arms around his neck

"You're welcome, you were so worried about how today was going to go that I thought you deserved something like this. Are you hungry?"

"I'm so hungry" dad and Ellie went and had dinner with Lissa and Christian but I just told them I wanted to stay in when actually I was coming out here to meet Nikolaus.

"Alright come on then, now I can cook but I have no idea if you like Greek food or not but I know how much you love pizza so I ordered pizza and then for dessert I baked Baklava"

"Never had Greek food before and I won't say no to pizza but what is Baklava?"

"I didn't think so, it's a Greek dessert. I promise you will like it, come on" I followed Nikolaus into the living room where I found the pizza sitting on the table. "Oh I almost forgot something" Nikolaus went back into the other room and came back with a single pink lily. "Here"

"You didn't have to do this, you know I can't exactly take flowers home with me"

"I know, that's why it's one lily. Just accept the lily and eat some pizza before it goes cold"

"Thank you" I took the lily and smelt it before taking a seat on the floor.

We had finished the pizza and we were sitting on the floor with Nikolaus leaning against the couch and I was on his lap with his arms around me. "Why did you do all of this? I would have been just as happy to spend the night with you without all of this"

"I know but for months the thing you've talked about the most is how you crave what you consider a normal life, I figured this was as close as I can give you without us being seen in public" he softly kissed my head before nuzzling my neck and I couldn't help it when I flinched in response.

I was still having issues when Nikolaus kissed my neck or I could feel his breath but I was getting better, I was still paranoid that someone was going to try and feed off me.

"I'm sorry" I shifted around and looked at Nikolaus, I hated that I was still having these issues

"Its fine Dri, you are getting better. It just takes time, just like it took time when you were getting over your fear of being held down" he kissed my temple

"You know I trust you and I know you won't do anything to hurt me"

"I know this but you went through a lot when you were kidnapped, it's not going to go away overnight. Come on let's have dessert"

"We could skip that backliva or whatever it was you called it and do something else" I smiled at him before I leaned over and kissed his neck

"It's called baklava and no we can't, you have to head home soon before Adrian realises you've gone somewhere" I frowned at him. "Dri I would love to do nothing but have sex with you again but we both know that if Adrian comes home and finds you gone he will get suspicious, it's not like its summer break where you can lie and say you're at Emily's" he whispered in my ear and I shivered.

"Alright fine let's go have dessert" I got off his lap and headed towards where the kitchen was.

"Aw Dri come back here" I heard Nikolaus yell from the living room but I didn't reply and it wasn't long before he joined me in the kitchen.

"Don't apologize, I get it. I have to be home soon, so what is this thing?"

"It's a pastry that's got nuts, lemon and honey through it" he walked over to the oven and pulled a dish out.

"Oh god that smells amazing" it truly did smell amazing, I walked over and jumped up to sit on the kitchen counter while he cut it up. "Who taught you to cook?"

"My mother and my grandmother, mostly my grandmother though. This was the first thing I learnt how to cook, I would eat so much of it that she thought I should know how to cook it" he cut up a piece and put it on a plate before picking up the fork and grabbing some of it.

"You'll have to teach me how to cook, I can't"

"I know you burnt toast and then forced me to eat it with that horrible stuff on it" he smirked at me I wondered if he was still mad about the vegemite incident.

"It's not that bad"

"Uhuh, hear try this" he held the fork up for me, I tried the food he had on the fork and my god it was amazing.

"Okay so that tastes as good as it smells"

"I told you that you would like it"

"Never doubted you" I grinned at him as I grabbed the plate and the fork off him and began eating it myself.

"Hey you're meant to share" the face he pulled was too cute, I placed my hand on his cheek and leaned over to kiss him.

"There is plenty more in the dish" but all he did was pick up a fork and started eating what was on my plate.

"But the whole point was we were meant to share"

"Alright fine, as long as we can have a serious conversation" I pulled the plate away and held it behind my back

"Dri we always have serious conversations"

"No we always talk"

"What's this serious conversation you want to have then?" I pulled the plate around and he stepped closer to me so he could have better access to the plate

"What is honestly going to happen once I graduate?"

"Dri"

"Don't" I cut him off, I'm sick of this whole I'm your teacher and I don't know what is going to happen. "I'm sick of you using that as an excuse, you said yourself after you got back from Greece that you came back for me, you even said you came back so you wouldn't lose me. Isn't us not planning or even talking about it going to end up with you losing me?"

"It's because I honestly don't know, I don't even know what's going to happen with my placement. I could be placed back with a Moroi or I could be stuck guarding at St Vladimir's"

"You were given the option last summer, why not this summer. Then you could get placed at Court"

"What about you Dri? We have no idea what's going to happen with you, you could get placed with a Moroi or a warded property like an academy or Court"

"What if we both get placed at Court?"

"If that's the case then yes that would be perfect and I would be happy to talk about this with you but it's so hard to plan anything or get our hopes up when we don't know what is going to happen" I looked down at the plate and noticed it was empty, he took the plate from me hoping I would look up at him

"Then let's run away" I still hadn't looked up at him

"Dri you don't mean that, you know that if we actually did that you would lose your family. It's not as simple as us running to a nearby town and hope I don't get caught"

"But I don't want to lose you"

"And you won't, I promise. We will work something out once we know what is happening to both of our placements, even if we both get placed with different Moroi we can have time off together. I promise we will try and make this work Dri, I love you and I don't want to lose you" he cupped my face and forced me to look at him. "Hey don't cry" I had been trying to hide my tears from him.

"When I first came here I didn't think through what it meant by me enrolling at St Vladimir's I honestly didn't think it would be like this, I didn't realise how different it would change my life. Dad would have been just as happy to send me to a human school for my education"

"But I'm glad you did because I got to meet you, even that first day when I saw you I was curious about you. Mostly I wanted to know why a dhampir had the bright emerald green eyes that come with being an Ivashkov"

"You knew then and there that I was one didn't you?"

"I did but I honestly had no idea who exactly you were or even how older you were"

"So you were interested in me until you found out who I was and how old I was" I grinned at him

"Yes I was and I wanted to know why you were the first dhampir to receive the royal trait eye colour"

"I wouldn't go back and change my decision because I did meet you as well as the rest of my friends, I just wonder what would happen if I didn't make the same decision"

"We're allowed that, I sometimes wonder what would happen if my brother wasn't killed or if I didn't beat up that Moroi"

And our moment of having the first proper conversation about our future together is ruined by the alarm on my phone to remind me to head home before dad gets home and realises that I went out.

"And that's my cue to leave"

"Soon you won't have too, hopefully in the summer when we both come out here it will be easier"

"Only because you have to suck it up and tell dad" I grinned at him and he actually looked scared. "Really, you're more afraid of my dad than Dimitri?"

"Dimitri has already tried to beat me up for this, your dad. Well let's say...okay maybe I am afraid of your dad, you didn't see him when you were taken. He blamed me for it, if Ellie wasn't there I don't know what would have happened"

"For all we know he will turn around and go I knew it already thanks for telling me though. James can see it in our auras, he must have seen us around the grounds at school"

"That's what worries me, we should just avoid him"

"We will work it out but for now I really have to go but thank you for the perfect night" I wrapped my arms around his neck to softly kiss him before getting down off the counter and leaving his room to head home, with my lily not caring what dad and Ellie say about it.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! I felt like updated because I was excited to share this chapter with you all, I hope you all enjoyed a bit of Nikolaus/Dri fluff.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I could never make Dri get punished for what happened. As for Clary, I feel bad as well but her mother did do something wrong and she couldn't get away with it.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you're that excited you did quick checks before bed. It's what I wanted, I wanted the court session to be nerve wracking so you felt what they were going through. Clary is meant to come across as a nice person but she was forced to do horrible things by keeping Dri there. They are interesting theories, I put a lot of thought into it and as for the charmed stakes, it is something I've already mentioned. As Dri said to Clary the Strigoi she killed did seem to be in a lot more pain then what she thought they would be, it's why she says she was lucky. I hope you enjoyed the date and of course it would be in private, do you think Nikolaus is silly enough to go through all this effort to be caught by Adrian?**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I always planned on the trial going well, I didn't want it to be something that affected Dri's future but I also couldn't skip it. As for them focusing on their future, it was mentioned here.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I'm glad you never blamed Clary for what happened. I hope you enjoyed their date, I did the best I could given the situation they are in.**


	93. Chapter 93

**Chapter 93**

Adrianna POV

I had ended up making it home with just enough time to get changed and place myself in front of the TV when dad and Ellie got home, they didn't question much. They mainly just asked if I was alright with how everything went with the trial and I told them I was fine, just trying to process how close I was to being sent to jail.

I couldn't get out of the family day dad had planned for today, since I hadn't seen much of Lissa and Christian over the weekend dad said I had to spend time with them before I was back on the plane later tonight.

I was quiet throughout lunch and no one said anything in attempts to make me talk, I assumed it was because of the trial yesterday but either way I was grateful. I was too busy trying to process my conversation with Nikolaus, was he right with the fact that there was no point in us planning a future when we might not get to see each other?

"Dri" I didn't turn around at the sound of Lissa's voice, I mentally groaned not really wanting to talk about whatever she wanted.

Lunch had finished and I escaped the dining room heading outside for some air, I was still caught up in my thoughts and talking to someone else was the last thing I needed. Rose had even tried to get my attention but I brushed her off before coming out here.

"Adrianna this isn't the time for you to ignore me, we need to talk and it needs to be done now" I hated when Lissa had used her queen like voice to get some control over the situation, it had rarely been used with me but I had seen it a couples with dad.

"What is there to talk about? How you were avoiding me on Friday night when I arrived or how you missed breakfast yesterday"

"It's because you were involved in the trial, I didn't want to know how much you were struggling with the idea of going on trial for what happened. I didn't want it to cloud my judgement, it's why I pulled what I could so you went first. I thought you would feel better if you went first compared to last, they originally wanted you to be last"

"I admit going first would be better than last"

"I assumed as much"

"What did you want to talk about, I'm guessing that isn't it"

"No it's not but I did want to check to see if you were angry at me avoiding you"

"Then what would you like to talk about"

Lissa didn't say anything as she walked over and took a seat on the bench furthest from the house but she was also facing the house making me wonder what she did want to talk about, it seemed like she was facing the house so she could make sure no one left.

I hesitated before joining her. "We could just sit here in silence if you wish"

"Not at all, you know I witnessed something interesting during the trial yesterday"

"We were both there, so something tells me we didn't see the same thing"

"No I doubt you wouldn't have seen it" I stared at Lissa, I was not liking where this went.

"Why does something tell me I'm about to get into a huge amount of trouble?"

"Because you are your father's daughter, you have a habit of getting into trouble yourself. It might not always be on purpose but yet here you are"

"Then tell me, why am I in trouble this time?"

"What is going on between you and Guardian Anastas?" I looked away from Lissa and looked at the house hoping more than anything no one joined us outside, I was now grateful she sat down here facing the house.

"I don't know what you are talking about, there is nothing going on between us. Why would I do something stupid like that?"

"Don't lie to me, I saw your aura, his as well"

"What about dad?" I whispered while looking down at my hands knowing full well she would have heard me

"He hasn't said anything to me, now what is going on?"

"I'm in love with him"

"I gathered as much from your aura's which I'm assuming you already knew and why you asked if Adrian had said anything"

"I honestly don't know what to tell you Lis"

"This could get you both into a lot of trouble"

"I know this but I also know it didn't cause that much trouble for Rose and Dimitri"

"It did though, the aftermath was horrible for all of us. Your dad wasn't here, it was while he was off travelling the world and then with your mother. He has heard the stories but that's it, Rose and Dimitri shocked everyone with their ability to be amazing Guardians. They were the ones that made dhampir/dhampir relationships normal and accepted"

"That and you were made Queen, you accepted Rose as your Guardian"

"Yes but the Guardians still have some approval, Guardian Croft could have rejected the idea and both of them could have been placed in the office behind a computer"

I look at Lissa in shock, I honestly thought she had final say. Could Nikolaus and I be screwing with our chances at a normal life? There was a part of me hoping that Lissa could pull her strings and have us both placed at Court. "I didn't know that, I thought you had final say"

"Not on all things, Guardian placements come back to them. I approve in terms of which Moroi get higher preference. The same thing could happen to the two of you, Anastas is already being punished because of a reckless move that landed him at St Vladimir's"

"Okay I get it, if we screw up we are screwed. We know this"

"Do you?"

"I don't know, we're being careful"

"Are you, why is it when I was at St Vladimir's last I heard a rumour about you two having sex all over the grounds"

"That was just a rumour that was started months ago"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I can assure you we haven't had sex all over the grounds"

"But something tells me you have had sex?"

"Twice"

"ADRIANNA!"

"Don't yell, they'll hear you. How did you even come across our auras, I didn't think you would be able to focus on someone in such a large group"

"It wasn't that large, after you got off the stand I wanted to make sure you were alright. I focused on you as you walked back to your seat, as soon as you sat down love flashed through your bond and you quickly looked at Anastas. It was harder to focus on him since I don't know him that well but I saw the same thing in his bond. How is that you have both made it this far without Adrian realising?"

"We tend to avoid being with him in the same room, the cafeteria is too big for dad to focus on just two people"

"That and he doesn't really use his Spirit, only to teach and place the wards"

"Yes that as well"

"What about everyone else though? I noticed the looks you give to each other"

"My friends have noticed the looks he sometimes gives me and they just make a joke out of it but James is the one to reassure them that they're being idiots"

"Ah yes, I'm sure they believe he would have seen something"

"Exactly"

"But what about the Guardians?"

"Are too busy making sure the Moroi are safe like they should be and making sure that the novices aren't fighting each other"

"What about the Moroi then?"

"Most of which don't care what Guardians do, they aren't going to pull themselves away from their friends and the conversation to see what looks one single Guardian is going to give a single novice"

"You think people are looking over you?"

"Why wouldn't they? I'm the lone novice that people are too scared to be placed with in case I decide to go back to the humans"

"I heard about that incident"

"Dad?"

"Yes, he told me. Dri you are rare amongst the dhampirs, most of them don't know who their Moroi parents are and the ones that do well they aren't royal. Not only are you a dhampir born to a royal Moroi, that Moroi has claimed you as his own, you also have the trademark emerald green eyes and all of that aside you are a dhampir that has Spirit in you. No dhampir ever has had magic in them"

I didn't know what to say to Lissa, I had heard this conversation on multiple occasions and I was sick of it. I wanted to get up and leave but I knew it would just make things worse with Lissa.

"Those reasons are enough for people to notice you and why wouldn't strangers notice looks between a novice and a Guardian?"

"Did you notice the looks between Rose and Dimitri?"

"No but that's not the point"

"Isn't it? It's the same situation, just because Nikolaus and I aren't denying our feelings like those two doesn't mean it is less detectable. I know dad worked it out and I know he wasn't the only one, so why couldn't you or a bunch of strangers?"

"I don't know"

"Exactly, so won't we be safe until my graduation"

"You won't do anything stupid?"

"What counts as stupid?"

"Getting caught?" Lissa had a small smile on her face, she obviously had no idea what counted as stupid when it came to this.

"No, we've been careful so far. The other novices generally steer clear of the gym during my sessions and it's not like we have sex on a regular basis"

"Alright"

"Why are you so accepting of this?"

"Because the two of you are meant to be together, much like Rose and Dimitri. It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't see auras and I'm pretty sure James would have seen the same thing. Some emotions just spike a flash through the aura but when love is present it creates a shape or pattern, when you are with the person you are meant to be with the patterns are the same. You and Anastas match up, I won't be the person to ruin it because it didn't matter if I say something and you two are pulled apart"

"Why?"

"You will find each other again, Rose and Dimitri did"

"Are you going to tell dad?"

"No, you need to be the one to tell him but I also hear you have a promise from him to have a rational conversation"

"Yes I do, I've been saving it"

"You really do need to tell him before it's too late"

"When will it be too late?"

"I don't know, this the only thing I can't judge him on. I don't know how he will react"

"Surely you know he will flip his shit"

"Are you sure? After what I just told you about the auras?"

"No idea"

"Exactly, he will look at them and see the same thing I did. He will be annoyed it was kept from him or you did something so reckless by having sex with him and the fact that he was your teacher but Dri at the end of the day he loves you and wants you to be happy. You are happy with him?"

"Incredibly" I smiled at her

"Very well, that is all I can ask of him. Now who else knows?"

Before I had the chance to reply we both heard the backdoor open and we looked up to see that it was just Rose leaving the house, most likely to see what we were up to.

"What are you two doing out here?" Rose questioned, normally I would happily sit inside and have a conversation with Lissa and/or Rose and not care who overheard so I assumed Rose found this odd.

"She found out" I replied and watched her face to see how she reacted but there was nothing.

"Oh really now and what would have Lissa had found out" Rose had a smirk on her face almost as if she knew how Lissa would react.

"Are you trying to tell me that this whole Rose has known and SHE HASN'T TOLD ME!" Lissa yelled the last part while glaring at Rose, I knew her anger aimed at me was now aimed at Rose.

Rose didn't even flinch at Lissa making me wonder just how many times Lissa had yelled at her. Rose shrugged in response as she walked over and took a seat beside us.

"How did she find out Dri?" Rose spoke ignoring the look Lissa was given her

"Saw our auras yesterday, it makes me wonder if dad knows but hasn't said anything and is waiting for us to say something to him"

"Adrian would not be able to keep this to himself, he would have said something by now. Even at Christmas he told us what he was planning and generally speaking he does trust your friendship with Nikolaus, if you hadn't been kidnapped from St Vladimir's then maybe he would be a little bit more suspicious but that was the tipping point for him" Rose spoke and I realised this wasn't the first time I had heard this before, a few people had said that my kidnapping was the tipping point for dad to accept my friendship with Nikolaus and it made me wonder what would happen once it was all out.

"Rose!" I looked at Lissa and she still looked shocked.

"Yes Liss?" Rose finally turned and looked at Lissa

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't my secret"

"It feels like senior year all over again"

"Oh don't start on this Liss"

"Come on Rose this isn't fair"

I couldn't help but laugh at the two of them, I had never seen the two of them argue like this and it was a little odd. They finally looked at me. "Seriously you two are fighting like a couple of 15 year olds, aren't you a little old for that?" they both stared at me in shock before pretending to act like my comment hurt their feelings.

"It's fine I get it but Dri you know you can always come to me about anything, I will never tell Adrian if you don't want me too" I gave Lissa a smile, I knew they were always there for me when I needed someone talk to and I couldn't go to dad and I was grateful that I had them there for me.

"I know, they found out he had feelings towards me and I went to Rose when I was confused about mine. I knew she had been in the same boat with Dimitri I just wanted her advice, we hadn't actually told anyone about us because it all came out just before I was kidnapped and then afterwards all I wanted was him to be there and that was when they found out"

"Alright come on let's head in before Adrian comes looking for us"

I didn't say anything in reply but Lissa was right, dad would come looking for me at one point and this was the last conversation he needed to interrupt.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you were so happy with the last chapter. I can imagine he would have looked hot and even though the outfit was so simple it was different to what she was used to. Yes it does seem perfect about the two of them being at Court together but sadly Lissa doesn't get a say, this chapter explained it briefly and it will be spoken about later again in a future chapter. Adrian seeing their auras, yes it does make sense doesn't it but this chapter also explained that it was very likely that Adrian hasn't seen them. I can assure you that summer will be very interesting.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the fluff**

**Guest**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are enjoying my story, Adrian will find out within due time. It seems to be that the characters are spilt in terms of what Adrian's reaction will be as well. I wonder how you think he will react.**

**Kellymc88**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you found my story and enjoyed it, I know most people aren't interested because it doesn't focus around Rose and Dimitri so it means a lot to know you are enjoying. Don't worry, I don't plan on stop writing this story I have it all worked out and I know how I want it to finish.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the date**


	94. Chapter 94

**Chapter 94**

Adrianna POV

"So how was your weekend?" I looked over at Emily, it was second period and we were in our body combat class. We were all being individually evaluated, which meant it was going to be a long week in class.

It was Monday morning and I was still worried that something was going to go wrong, my session with Nikolaus was cancelled since we had a late flight out last night. So much had come out during the trial and I was hoping it wouldn't reach back to the academy before graduation.

"The trial was hard having to relive it all again but that night he planned a date" I smiled at the memory of everything he organised. People were around I couldn't exactly say it was Nikolaus but I'm glad Emily knew who I was talking about and if anyone did hear our conversation they would just think I was seeing someone back at Court.

"Aw that's really cute, did you?"

"Did we have sex? No, we were limited with time since I had to make sure I was home before dad and Ellie. If I was caught out I had no reason as to where I was since both you and Stefan were here, did I miss anything here?" oh my god, I couldn't believe she was going to try and hide something from me. The blush that crept up her face was enough to prove that I had missed something.

"Nothing happened" she spat out so quickly and looked away from me

"Bull, you can't hide anything from me what happened!"

"Alright so there was party"

"There's always a party Em, who did you have sex with?" I didn't catch what she said, she mumbled her reply. "I'm sorry, what was that?" I put my hand around my ear.

It wasn't like Emily was a slut and had sex at every party, it was just a coincidence that every time she went to tell me about what happened with another guy whether it was sex or not the story always started with so there was a party, it didn't matter if I was there or not.

"I had sex with James"

"YOU WHAT!" I yelled probably a bit too loud and everyone looked at us but no one said anything.

"Dri, please don't yell"

"How did this even happen? I asked you ages ago if you were ever interested like that in him and you said no. What happened to change that?"

"We weren't even that drunk, the party was lame so we all left and headed to one of the empty lounges but of course no one thought to steal alcohol on our way out since it was always you that did that. Eventually everyone left and it was just James and I, one thing led to another"

"I can't believe you two actually did it, who made the move?"

"He did"

"Seriously?"

"I'm dead serious"

"I can't believe that, I haven't seen him not once since he's been hanging around us doing anything with a girl. I was beginning to wonder if he was gay or not"

"Well I can tell you he isn't gay" the grin on her face was huge.

"How good was it?"

"It was amazing Dri, best I've ever had"

"Glad to know but honestly what now? Even you and Jeremy were a little bit awkward after you two had sex"

"But things haven't been awkward, the party was on Friday. We've hung out since"

"Seriously?"

"Yes seriously, why do you honestly not believe that we had sex?"

"Oh come on we were both there for the conversation we had last week about the boys and their fascination with sex, how do I know that you all aren't in on this to try and make me think you two had sex to try and make me forget my shitty weekend"

"Dri, I'm being 100% serious. James and I had sex"

"Did you at least use protection because you two don't want to deal with all the crazy people that will want your baby now that it's out that my blood is _special_. It all came out during the trial and you know how some of those royals like to gossip"

"Yes we used protection and what do you mean crazy people wanting my baby?"

"Apparently people that have the special blood that I do are made by a Spirit Moroi and either a human or dhampir. It will only ever be dhampirs that are special like me, we still don't even know the full extent to what could happen to me"

"I never even thought of that, I'm just like use a condom because I would like to graduate" we both laughed a little at her comment

"You're real funny Em, I'm sure you would have graduated just maybe not get placed with a Moroi but honestly you and James, there's nothing else going on?"

"I don't know, don't get me wrong he's a great guy but you know him just as well as I do. Sometimes I worry that the Spirit is getting to him"

"I know I worry too Em but I think he's trying to cut back on it. I can't remember the last time I actually caught him peaking in my head"

"He's never looked in mine apart from when he first sat with us and I had all those questions"

"Are you serious? I can't keep him out of my head"

"I yelled at him and he stopped"

"Maybe he likes you and that's why you two had sex" I grinned at her, I couldn't wait to get back at James for all the comments he said about Nikolaus and I

"Don't start Dri, you are not playing match maker with the two of us"

"Fine" I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned at her but all she did was elbow me.

I couldn't help myself when lunch came round, I was sitting there staring at James with a huge smile on my face. I knew he was getting annoyed because I wasn't saying anything, he kept looking between Emily and I and I knew he was going to yell at one of us eventually.

"You told her!" he finally yelled at Emily and both of us were shocked.

"I thought you stopped looking at everyone's memories James!" Emily yelled back

"I wanted to know why she was staring at me like that!"

I sat back and watched Emily and James argue, it was cute watching them. Only once before had I questioned Emily about her and James and it wasn't long after Michael's trial, the two of them were spending a bit of time together but Emily just said it was so the two of could get to know each other better since James and Stefan got along instantly. Ever since I hadn't thought about the two of them but now, knowing that they had sex and seeing them like this I honestly wondered if something would happen between them.

"You didn't have to tell her Em, you don't have to tell Dri everything"

"Wait what's going on?" Belle spoke, I completely forgot that the rest of our friends were around. Stefan stayed silent making me wonder if he knew what happened, him and James were pretty close so I wouldn't be surprised if he had heard from James himself.

"Nothing" Emily snapped before going back to her lunch and James glared at me.

"Dri what are they talking about?" Belle looked over at me and hoped I would tell her what was going on but I knew I couldn't, it wasn't my place.

"I don't know anything apparently Belle" I shrugged

"Oh come on you know something, James said so himself. What happened?"

"Just drop it Belle, it's nothing" James snapped at Belle this time and she looked hurt for a second before going to her lunch.

I couldn't believe that both Emily and James had snapped at Belle like that, she wasn't the type of girl that easily got offended or hurt but they both had hurt her within a span of five minutes.

"Are you two kidding me? You both snapped at her for no reason, you know as well as I do that she isn't easily offended and look at her" I yelled at both of them while pointing at Belle who had her head hung while picking at her lunch.

"I'm sorry Belle but it is honestly nothing, James just failed his maths test and he didn't want Dri to know but I thought she should since she spent so long studying with him for it" Emily spoke and I knew the lie was enough to cover Belle's curiosity about the subject.

"Oh is that all, Dri wouldn't be happy then. I remember all the times she lost it at Jeremy when he failed after her spending so much time helping him study" Belle smiled before sticking her tongue out at Jeremy who glared at her. I laughed and he then proceeded to glare at me, I thought I would follow Belle's lead and stick my tongue out at him as well.

"Oh real mature Dri" Jeremy spoke and it was obvious he wasn't happy that Belle and I had ganged up on him.

"What is this maturity thing you speak of? Do you know Stef?" I grinned at Stefan, this had come up on a couple of occasions but mostly it was from Carter, we all knew Carter was more mature than us. Carter wasn't the type to party or get drunk nearly every week but we didn't hold that against him and he didn't hold it against us.

"Nope no idea, is it something that only the Moroi have?" Stefan instantly replied with a grin on his face, I'm glad he knew where I was wanting to go with this.

"Maybe that's it, maybe its part of their magical abilities that we miss out on"

"Or maybe it's because Jeremy has had a stick up his ass ever since he turned 18 and received his Lord title" Stefan's comment caused both Belle and Emily to laugh while Jeremy glared at the two of us.

"Nah that's not true, he's only ever been this way since I pretty much told him I wouldn't have sex with him" my comment then caused James to start laughing.

Stefan didn't say anything in reply since he was too busy trying to keep a straight face and not laugh along with James at my comment but when we looked over at Jeremy we both noticed the small smile on his face.

"Seriously you two are such idiots" Jeremy finally laughed at us, he never could stay mad at any of us for long

"But yet you still sit with us" Stefan grinned

"Only because I can't stand those royals"

"No it's because you love us Jer" I grinned at him

"Actually Dri, I don't love you" I pretended to be shocked

"Say it isn't so Jeremy, what would I do knowing you don't love me" I put a hand over my heart

"You know what, I take it back. Stefan isn't an idiot, you are" I picked up one of my French fries and threw it at Jeremy. "Yum thanks Dri" he grinned at me and I shook my head.

"Would you like some more?" he nodded at me and I knew I was going to get in a lot of trouble if this went sideways but I did it anyway. I picked up a handful of my fries, a few of them even had tomato sauce on them and I threw them at him causing the rest of us to laugh at him.

"You are so dead Dri" he growled at me and I couldn't speak, I was still laughing.

But the bell saved me. "Sorry Jer there is the bell, see you in class" I winked at him before grabbing my bag and making a break for the door not wanting to know what he had planned for me.

Except to my disappointed on my way out of the cafeteria a hand shot out and grabbed my arm stopping me from escaping, I turned around and found Nikolaus standing there not looking so happy. Jeremy walked past me and he stuck his tongue out at me thinking that I would get a lecture about throwing food in the cafeteria, at a royal no less as well.

"I'm going to be late to class" I flashed him a smile hoping he would remember the last time I was late to class because of him.

"It won't take long"

"Seriously?" I pulled a face at him, I hadn't received a lecture from him a while.

"Yes, come on" I followed him out of the cafeteria and in the opposite direction of the rest of the students heading towards the building that housed our classrooms.

"So let me guess, I shouldn't have thrown the fries at Jeremy and I was lucky a food fight didn't start" I took a seat on the bench once we were in one of the court yards.

"Actually I don't care about that, throw more fries at him for all I care just don't start a food fight" Nikolaus sat down beside me, if he didn't care then why did he pull me aside

"Then what am I doing out here, we could just as easily talk in our session"

"Fifth period is getting cancelled"

"Why?"

"Rumours reached the Moroi about what happened during your trial"

"I knew a closed session would be pointless but still, why is fifth period cancelled?"

"The Headmistress and Guardian Petrov are addressing all of the senior campus students to try and convince them that the rumours are just that. They're hoping to give you some peace over the next few weeks"

"Ohh..."

"You alright?"

"I don't know, I was just hoping it wouldn't reach back here that quickly. I honestly hoped I could make it to graduation and not have to worry about me being different until we were back at Court when dad and Lissa want to do blood tests"

"Why do they want to do blood tests?"

"To see if they can work out what exactly is different about me"

"Have you spoken to Clary about what she knows?"

"All she knows is the rumours floating around, nothing specific. She doesn't even know if our blood would work for what Michael and Bradley wanted"

"And no one will ever get the chance to find out" anger flashed through his eyes and it was then that I realised he was still angry about me being taken from underneath his watch.

"You won't always be able to protect me though"

"But I will try, now what exactly was going on with you and your friends during lunch? One minute Emily and James were arguing and then next you're all making fun of each other and it ended with you throwing fries at Jeremy"

"Oh that well, I probably shouldn't tell you but it started with James realising that Emily told me that the two of them had sex. Belle wanted to know what we were going on about since no one actually said what happened and Belle got hurt because they both yelled at her. In the end Emily lied and said James failed a maths test and it resulted in Belle making a comment about Jeremy and then he called me immature and then Stefan and I just went on from there and yeah"

"Wow, do you really sound like that with your friends?" I frowned at him

"You asked what happened"

"You didn't have to explain it like that though, you sounded like one of those gossiping school girls" the way he said it hurt, it was like he completely forgot I was one of those girls. I might not gossip anywhere near as much as the royals or even Belle for that matter but I did.

"I am a gossiping school girl" I snapped at him before standing up and heading towards the dorms, I may as well hide out in my dorm until sixth period.

I made it all the way to the dorms before Nikolaus made a grab and stopped me, the whole way I could hear him behind me but he didn't say anything or make a grab for me.

"I'm sorry" I looked up at him, I honestly didn't know what he expected me to say

"Then why did you say it?"

"I have never heard you explain anything like that and you're not exactly one to gossip"

"I do gossip, it's hard not too here. I might not do it as much as the royals but I do"

"Alright then I guess there is still more to learn about you but I am sorry I hurt you" he reached over and placed his hand on my neck and his thumb stroked my cheek.

"We're in public" I whispered almost expecting him to pull his hand away like I was burning him but instead it stayed.

"Right now I'm more concerned about how my comment hurt you"

"Its fine honestly, you're right though. It's hard for us know everything about each other when we're limited to the gym"

"Are you sure?" but I didn't reply, instead I leaned up to kiss him hoping that he would kiss me back since he already said he didn't care. For once he kissed me back instantly, his hand even moved from my face to my lower back to pull me closer.

"WHAT THE HELL!" oh fucking shit, that was Jeremy's voice.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! Yes it's a cliffhanger and yes I know everyone hates me…I'm sorry.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Graduation is about 5 or 4 weeks away. I know so many more people are finding and Jeremy has just been added to the list but considering how people are in Dri's life the list is short and really Jeremy is the only that has found out because he's caught them doing something.**

**Amorsagirl**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and the fight between Lissa and Rose, I couldn't help myself it seemed like the right thing to do there since it was something that Rose had kept from Lissa**

**Ilovesos946**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It is a little sad but when I think back to the books Lissa couldn't quite get a hold of the seeing aura ability at the time whereas now she has 20 or so years' experience on it to notice Dri and Nikolaus' auras.**

**Dhrucharshita**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Lissa now knows, I wanted her to handle it well because she saw the auras. She would know how auras work and that Dri and Nikolaus aren't meant to be together because she has seen Rose and Dimitri together, even when they were torn apart because he became a Strigoi and was turned back. Thank you for your theory on how Adrian will react, I've been enjoying reading them all.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It would be good if Lissa can put in a good word for them wouldn't it? As for Adrian, I think you have a point, I wonder if he can put his feelings aside about what Rose and Dimitri did when it comes to Dri and Nikolaus. I guess you will have to wait and see.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes in theory Lissa could help Dri but it all depends on what happens between now and graduation, if something goes wrong the Guardians could change their plans for Dri.**


	95. Chapter 95

**Chapter 95**

Adrianna POV

After hearing Jeremy's voice Nikolaus instantly pulled away and I could see the worry written on his face, we had no idea how Jeremy would take this. It was part of the reason why I hadn't said anything to him, I just let him believe that it was just a silly crush and when I tried to kiss him while drunk during field experience he pushed me away, it was better that way.

I looked over at Jeremy and he looked pissed off, he shook his head before turning on his heel and heading back in the other direction.

"Go follow him Dri, please" Nikolaus spoke, he was worried about what Jeremy would do with this information or even how much he had seen or heard.

"Alright, I will see you later?"

"Maybe" he didn't need to explain, I knew what he meant. If Jeremy went to anyone about what he saw our sessions will be cancelled and our relationship will get looked into.

I took off running hoping I could catch Jeremy before he found anyone else, I had no idea where the meeting was being held or even why Jeremy came looking for me. I just hoped Jeremy had headed back to the classrooms and I could find him then but it wasn't until I went past the Moroi dorms that I saw Jeremy head inside. I didn't catch up to see where he went and I just hoped it was his dorm instead of someone else's, I don't know what I would do if he went to someone about what he saw.

"Jeremy stop" I finally caught him in the hallway, he spun around and I hadn't seen him ever look this angry.

"Why? So you can tell me I'm seeing things, I know what I saw Dri"

"No, what did you see and why did you come looking for me?"

"I came looking for you because there was a meeting and I didn't know if you knew or not"

"I did, it was why Nikolaus pulled me aside. The meeting was about me, after what happened last time something came up about me he figured I would be better off not being there"

"What happened last time?"

"During one of our body guard theory classes Dimitri, Rose and Nikolaus all spoke about my rescue mission, I had to listen to everyone ask what was so damn special about me. Now they all know, Alberta was going to try and convince them that they are rumours and I'm not special. What did you see?"

"I saw him place his hand on your neck and you kissed him, I thought he would push you away but he didn't he kissed you back!"

"What are you going to do with this information?"

"I've got no clue, I don't even know what is going on. I know you, Emily and Stefan have been keeping something from us and I honestly just thought it was novice bullshit but now I think it was this and I think there's more going on than just that one kiss"

"You're right, Emily and Stefan do know and we have been keeping this from you mainly because I didn't know how you would react to it. Yes there's more going on than just one kiss"

"Why wouldn't you tell me? Why couldn't you trust me with this one bit of information? You said yourself that you wanted us to be friends again"

"Because I didn't know how you would react Jer!"

"And what now you're willing to tell me everything, why?"

"Because I want to be able to trust you, I have been wanting to tell you Jer I just didn't know how"

"Then tell me everything now and give me one good reason why I shouldn't go to Guardian Petrov or your dad because I have a feeling your dad doesn't know"

"Can we at least go into your dorm and talk in private?"

"Fine" he snapped at me before turning around and heading to his dorm.

Once we were both inside and the door was shut I went and took a seat at his desk, waited to see if he would say anything but he didn't. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Are you two actually in a relationship?"

"We haven't spoken about it but that's what you could call it"

"When did it start?"

"Not long before I was kidnapped"

"How?"

"That requires me telling you what happened in Melbourne, we got drunk one night and had sex. After we were finished we were just lying there in the bed and he was speaking in Greek, at the time I didn't think anything of it at the time but it wasn't until we started back here I remembered it and spent hours on the computer googling the translation then the following morning I confronted him about what he said. He told me he was in love with me back then, and I told him I felt the same back"

"What about when we were dating?" seriously, he was worried about me cheating on him

"Nothing, I didn't feel anything for him then and nothing happened. I promise"

"What about when Stefan told me you had a crush on Anastas and what happened during field experience?"

"It's what I told them, at the time they didn't know the truth but it was then I decided maybe I should tell them as for what happened during field experience, he didn't exactly push me away"

I spent the rest of fifth period sitting in Jeremy's dorm answering every single one of his questions just hoping more than anything it would help convince him to not tell anyone what he saw.

"Dri?" we had both been silent for a couple of minutes, I had answered what I assumed was his last questions.

"Yes Jeremy"

"You actually love him and he makes you happy?"

"Yes and not just that, he makes me feel safe. After everything that happened when I was kidnapped he was the first person I saw that I recognised, he was the one that found me when I escaped the house. He calmed me down and assured me that everything would be alright, even once we were back here and I was struggling the first few weeks he was the one that helped me through it"

"Alright, I won't tell anyone"

"Seriously?"

"I knew there was something different, I spoke about it with Stefan because I was worried about you. You weren't yourself when we first came back for the new school year and then you were kidnapped and when you came back, yes you went through a great ordeal and when you went back to normal everything seemed to be fine but you were also happier. If he made that change in you then I'm not going to be the one that ruins your happiness. I know I ruined our friendship by cheating on you but I still care about you, I want you to be happy" I couldn't believe he was actually going to help us keep this a secret.

"Thank you Jer, it means a lot to me"

"I'm sure it will mean a lot to him when you tell him, oh am I right in assuming that James knows?"

"That kid knows everything, he'll probably tell you he knew it before Nikolaus and I"

"Wouldn't surprise me, come on we should head to class"

I nodded and followed Jeremy to class, I still couldn't believe how accepting he was of this once I explained everything to him. He was so angry to begin with and now he was accepting, had we really come this far in the past year that we were now back to normal where I could trust him with my biggest secret?

James, Emily and Stefan noticed that both Jeremy and I were missing from the lecture from Alberta about the rumours about myself. I told them that Nikolaus pulled me aside to give me the heads up and Jeremy told them he went looking for me, it was then they all pieced together what happened. So now that Stefan knew Jeremy knew about Nikolaus, I was literally waiting for the jokes to start at my expense again.

"You alright with Jeremy knowing?" Emily decided to walk with me to my session with Nikolaus, her reason was she wanted to make sure I was alright but I had a feeling this was still to do with seeing Nikolaus and I together and knowing we had a date the other night didn't help.

"I've been thinking about what would happen if he knew or if I could trust him, I've been trying so hard to get our friendship back to normal and this seemed to be the last thing in the way"

"What actually happened?"

"He saw me lean up to kiss Nikolaus"

"Seriously? I haven't even seen you two kiss" Emily complained

"Really Em, you're jealous of that" I laughed at her

"Whatever, how was he so accepting of it?"

"He said he noticed the change in me once I got back from being kidnapped and when I told him that it was Nikolaus, he said he didn't want to ruin my happiness"

"Jeremy does care about you, he never stopped Dri"

"I know, I still care about him as well. It was just hard not knowing how to be friends with him again after everything that happened"

"Meaning between the two of you and then you and Nikolaus"

"Pretty much" I opened the doors to the gym and found Nikolaus in there alone.

I looked over at Emily almost expecting her to say bye but instead she followed me in with a grin on her face. I let out a sigh before walking over to Nikolaus. "What's she still doing here?" he whispered when I was closer to him.

"Please don't pull away" I whispered back before leaning up to kiss Nikolaus.

"What was that for?" He spoke, he did pull away but not like he normally would when he's being cautious.

But I didn't reply, I just turned around and I looked at Emily. "Happy?"

"Much, see you later"

"What was that about Dri?" I turned around and faced him

"She was annoyed that Jeremy saw us kiss and not the fact that he found out"

"You're friends are weird"

"I know this" I grinned at him, I knew ages ago that my friends were weird.

"As long as you do, what did happen with Jeremy?"

"I'm assuming since we're both here unsupervised that you figured out he didn't tell anyone"

"I did, how did you convince him not to tell anyone?"

"I told him everything, answered his questions. He also asked if you made me happy and I told him you did as well as making me feel safe, I also explained what happened after I was kidnapped how you were always there for me. He said he didn't want to be the one to ruin my happiness"

"Wow, I wouldn't have thought I would ever feel grateful towards him"

"You can't seriously be jealous of him after this, don't you think that if he wanted to win me back he would have gone to someone about our relationship"

"I guess" he mumbled, I smiled and placed my hand on his cheek. "Don't you dare say it's adorable when I'm jealous"

"Fine I won't what are we doing today?" I pulled my hand away from his face and walked over to place my bag on the floor by the benches.

"Dri what's wrong?"

"Are you seriously still worried about Jeremy when he was the one that made the decision to keep us a secret once he realised I was happy with you. To begin with he threatened to tell either dad or Alberta"

"Why do we have to have this conversation again?"

"Fine, let's go back to the conversation we had the other night about our future then"

"We've already spoken about our future Dri, there's nothing to plan until we know what is happening"

"So what not once have you ever considered the thought of us getting married and starting a family!" I snapped at him, I didn't realise how angry I was about all of this.

"Dri we can't have a family, we won't be able to have kids" he spoke softly and at first I didn't realise why but it was then that what I said and what he said finally sunk in.

"Right..."

"Dri does this have anything to do with you wanting a normal life?" I shook my head trying so hard to hold back my tears. Nikolaus stepped closer to me and put his arms around me and I buried my face in his chest. "I would love to be able to have the chance to be able have a family with you Dri"

But I didn't reply, I didn't want to tell him that before I came here I dreamed of meeting some guy that I could have a family with and now I have met the guy but we couldn't have a family and it hurt, a lot

"Come on Dri, I was planning on us sparring today" I nodded and pulled away from him and walked over to the mats.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I guess we could talk for ages as to why we think Lissa never saw what was in front of her with Rose and Dimitri. Yes they could have been in a lot of trouble with Jeremy but he was understanding because Nikolaus made her feel sage.**

**Druvharshita**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I know I hate cliff hangers as well but sometimes they are needed and I rarely do them. I'm glad you love my replies.**

**Moulinness**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes they were bound to get caught while at St Vladimir's but at least it was a friend. I did enjoy writing the last chapter but not so much this one since there was some realization for Dri as to what she won't get in her future. I know I'm almost at chapter 100 and I think that chapter was one of my favourite to write and I can't wait until everyone reads it.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As always I love your reviews, this chapter should have explained what Jeremy had seen and thankfully it was just him.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes they got busted and Jeremy reacted pretty well.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Of course Dri made it home without being caught. As for Lissa, yes I needed a way for her to find out since it is critical to a future chapter but as for Adrian. I can assure you he doesn't find out that way, it has been mentioned a few times that Adrian doesn't really use his Spirit ability, it's only when he teaches or places wards around the school. I'm glad you liked the little fight between Rose and Lissa, I figured after all this time they would still bicker like that. Don't worry about Dri and Nikolaus' placements, it will all work out, why would I force them apart? Yes they were asking to be caught, but at least it was a friend and someone who had seemed to accept them after everything was explained. I had thought about a possibility about Emily and Stefan but it could still happen, it was only a once between Emily and James. As for him using his Spirit to give Emily what she wanted, I hadn't thought of it that way but Emily has said that James doesn't look in her head so maybe he didn't I'm too sure. As for the way I described the matching auras, I could be wrong but I think I read it in Last Sacrifice and Sonya was explaining it between Rose and Dimitri but as I said it could be wrong and I could have read it in another fan fic. But when I think of auras it's how I picture them since it wasn't exactly something explained properly in the books.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Emily and James but is it permanent or just a once off, what do you think?**


	96. Chapter 96

**Chapter 96**

Adrianna POV

It had been a week since the trial, a week since my date with Nikolaus, a week since Jeremy caught Nikolaus and I kissing and a week since it sunk it that I wouldn't be able to have a family with Nikolaus. I had been quiet the last week barely joining in with the conversation my friends were having in either class or out of it, they hadn't said anything and I figured they assumed my mood was because of the trial last week but it wasn't.

"Dri what's wrong, you've been awfully quiet all week" Nikolaus spoke, the session had just finished and I was lying on the floor staring at the ceiling. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at him.

"Back to our conversation we had last week…"

"Which one Dri?" he walked over and took a seat in front of me

"Us not being able to have a family"

"What about it?"

"Does it bother you we won't be able to have children and a family together?" he was silent and it scared me. Even though we knew we couldn't plan what was going to happen once I graduated, hell we hadn't even discussed what was going on between us. All I knew was that I didn't want to lose him, I wanted him in my life.

"Not really, Dri I grew up knowing that I would probably never be able to have children. I knew what it meant to be a dhampir and becoming a Guardian. The only way I knew I would be able to have children was if I fell in love with a Moroi. Why are you asking this?"

"Because I grew up believing that one day I would find prince charming, have a family and get my happily ever after and now I don't"

"I know and I hate that you don't get that but there are ways around the whole no children thing"

"How, adoption isn't exactly something I've heard of amongst the Moroi"

"Not what I meant, you could conceive with a Moroi" I stared at him, had he honestly thought about this. Me having sex with a Moroi just so I could fall pregnant and have a child

"But the child won't be yours"

"Blood doesn't mean anything. Look at Ellie, she loves you and treats you like her own"

"I won't do it" I snapped at him as I stood up and left the gym in search of James, I still needed to talk to him about what happened between him and Emily last weekend.

I pulled my phone out ignoring the message I had from Nikolaus and sent one to James asking where he was, the reply I got stated he was just in his room.

When I knocked on the door he cracked it opened hoping I wouldn't push it open further. "You've been avoiding me" I spoke and I heard him bang his head on the wall. He actually was avoiding me, it was like he spent all his time in his room.

"Why do we have to talk about this?"

"What if I came here to talk to you about something that happened with Nikolaus?"

"You two had sex and now you're pregnant? Sorry Dri but that can't happen so I doubt something happened that you'll be able to shock me with" my heart broke at the sound of someone else telling me I won't be able to have children with Nikolaus.

"Don't remind me" I spoke softly and that was when he finally opened the door more and got a good look at me.

"What happened Dri?"

"The realisation that I wouldn't be able to have children with him"

"Dri you've always known that dhampirs can't have children together otherwise Rose and Dimitri would have them"

"I know this James, it's just…please let me in"

"Alright, come on" he pulled the door opened and let me in. I walked over and laid down on his bed

"What happened with Nikolaus?" he walked over and sat down beside me

"I grew up believing that one day I will get married and have children, now I can't"

"Dri there are ways around that"

"What have sex with a Moroi and have kids that way, no thanks Nikolaus already suggested that"

"There are ways around that, you don't have to have sex with a Moroi or have you humans not heard of IVF or surrogates?"

"No they have, no need to be mean" I frowned at him

"I wasn't trying to be mean, you could get a Moroi to donate sperm or even have a friend do it"

"Awe is this you saying you want to have a child with me Jaime" I grinned at him and he glared in response.

"Don't call me Jaime"

"You let me get away with when I was high"

"You remember that?"

"I remember what happened every single time I was high, I remember what it felt like, James I remember everything and I hate it. I hate that I'm constantly hoping someone will feed off me just so I get that high again"

"You'll get passed it"

"I know, Rose said the same thing"

"Are you going to be alright with the whole no children thing?"

"Did you know Clary heard a rumour that it's possible for us to have a child with another dhampir" I sat up and looked at him

"And you're hoping it will turn out to be true"

"A little" I looked away from him and starred at the other wall. James was silent for moment, I assumed he was trying to process this information since it was to do with him as well since he was a Spirit user.

"Have you told him?" I looked over at James, this was something I had no idea if I could tell Nikolaus. I was worried about what would come out of it, was it even possible?

"I don't want to get his hopes up in case it isn't true"

"And what you're allowed to get your hopes up by yourself?"

"So you and Emily?" I hoped changing the subject would be enough to get him to drop it

"Yes we had sex, why does it matter?" this time he laid down on the bed

"There's nothing there at all, she said you don't even look inside her head"

"Because she asked me not too"

"I asked you not too and you still do"

"Yeah but you're fun to annoy" he smirked at me and I glared back but he just laughed at me

"Jee thanks" I laid down beside him. "There's nothing there at all, she said you weren't even that drunk"

"I know and it still happened"

"Seriously James" I looked over at him and noticed he had put his hands over his face. "You like her don't you?"

"I do, I really do. I have for a while now"

"I can't believe you didn't say anything to me" I was shocked

"Now why would I do that?"

"No idea, but why did you make the move?" he was silent for a moment. It wasn't until he removed his hands that he finally looked at me.

"I honestly don't know, we were lying close like this and I just leaned forward to kiss her and she kissed me back and one thing led to another"

"I just can't believe you actually like her"

"I would have thought you would have been more shocked at the two of us having sex"

"I was when Emily told me and I still was up until you told me you have feelings towards her, what are you going to do?"

"Pretend they don't exist"

"James you can't do that, it will kill you"

"I know alright, I saw what it was doing to Nikolaus when you didn't know what he felt towards you"

"And I honestly hate that it took as long as it did for me to realise what I felt towards him even once I worked it out it was killing me knowing nothing would come out of it"

"But you two are happy now?"

"Most of the time yeah but its hard James and having it sunk in that I won't be able to have a family with him sucks. What if Emily feels the same, you'll be able to have a family with her"

"And what have children that people will want to kill like people do with you?"

"Emily wouldn't let that and I don't think you would either"

"I can't tell Em what I feel, it would ruin everything. I witnessed what happened with your friends after you and Jeremy broke up, what if the same thing happens between Em and I?"

"What if it doesn't?"

"Has she told you anything?"

"I'm not telling you that, you need to suck it up and tell her. Tell her that you have feelings for her or take your own advice and just kiss her again, while completely and utterly sober"

"Only if you tell Nikolaus about how there might be a chance you two can have children"

"No way, you didn't see his face when he told me he knew he couldn't have children with me but he wished he could, he wished I would be able to have the future I grew up hoping to have one day"

"Dri…"

"No, I don't want to tell him and get his hopes up. Plus after we had sex in Melbourne I didn't fall pregnant, maybe it is just a rumour"

"Maybe you were just lucky you didn't fall pregnant?"

"Imagine if I had fallen pregnant, dad would have killed me"

"And Dimitri would have killed Nikolaus"

"I think both Rose and Dimitri would have killed Nikolaus if I had fallen pregnant"

"You think Dri?"

"Yeah, the three of them may get along now but back then they didn't really"

"You should really tell Nikolaus though, it concerns him as well"

"Only if you tell Emily, speaking of which. I'm going to go find her and find out what she thinks" I sat up and stuck my tongue out at him. He knew Emily would tell me if she felt anything towards him.

I didn't end up getting anything useful from Emily that night, she claimed she didn't feel anything towards James. The next morning Nikolaus and I were working on theory. I knew he was looking at me with concern after my outburst yesterday but I didn't know what to say. I couldn't honestly believe he thought I would have sex with someone else just so I could have a child.

"Dri listen I'm sorry about yesterday, I didn't mean to upset you by suggesting that" I finally looked up at him.

"What if there is a possibility that I could fall pregnant with you, what if I'm that special that it could work?" that got him, he obviously hadn't thought about this as a possibility. He looked completely shocked and put out.

"Have you heard something?"

"No, dad still doesn't know what actually makes me different" I couldn't actually tell him that I had heard something, that Clary had heard rumours about the possibility but was unsure as to if it would work.

"Then why are you asking about the possibility?"

"I'm just curious, do you actually want a future with me and a family if it's possible or are you using the excuse that we can't have a family to hide the fact you don't want one?"

"Are you kidding me Dri?"

"What I'm being honest here, you're the one that never wants to talk about our future. You always brush it aside with this whole student teacher thing and if it's not that it's because we don't know where we are being placed after I graduate!"

"You're an idiot Dri, I do want a future with you. We've joked about running away before because it meant we could have that future but we both know you wouldn't walk out on your family after it took you so long to find them. I've told you I don't want to plan a future with you that we may not get, I want to know what is happening with our placements before we think about a possible future. Adrianna I'm completely and utterly in love with you and nothing is going to change that" and that was when he leaned over and kissed me before pushing me back against the floor.

When he pulled away he brushed my hair away from my face and he smiled at me. "I'm sorry"

"I know, this is hard and I wish it was easier but we will get through it. We're almost at your graduation"

"Four weeks"

"Exactly, four weeks. We can get through that"

"And then we have to face dad"

"You're not going to make me do that alone are you?"

"Of course not, I will be there holding your hand you big baby" I smirked as I leaned up to kiss him

"Thank you"

"Unless dad asks me to leave, then you're on your own" I grinned and he frowned before pulling away and pulling me up with him.

"Alright back to this studying, you still have that test today"

"Yeah, yeah but you distracted me"

"How so?"

"You're incredibly good looking, you always distract me" I flashed him a smile and he shook his head before pointing at the book.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! First off I had a couple of people review saying that it seemed as though Dri forgot about Clary telling her she might fall pregnant, she didn't actually forget she was just too scared to tell him in case it wasn't true. Secondly the next two chapters are the final ones before Dri's graduation and then everyone is off to Court to find out their placements.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Jeremy will keep the secret, he wants to keep Dri happy because he cares about her**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are relieved at Jeremy's reaction, I was worried some people weren't going to like it since I've had a couple of reviews in the past from people asking when Adrian is going to find out the truth. As for Emily and James, just stayed tuned. It's funny that a couple of people have mentioned that they assumed Emily and Stefan but I never once saw it that way. I'm glad you found Emily's reaction funny and the kiss, Nikolaus knows he will have to become comfortable around other people at some stage and figured something small like that would be a good start. As for the cliff hanger, well I personally hate cliff hangers and I actually had a heap of reviews and thought why not update and I'm also excited for the next few chapters I want to get them out.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. If you read the above note Dri didn't forget, she just didn't want to tell Nikolaus.**

**Guest**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the way Jeremy took everything and as for their future I do have something planned for them.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and how Jeremy took it. As for James and Emily, don't worry you aren't the only one that has commented on it and I never thought of Emily and Stefan but there is still plenty of chapters left so everything could change.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot me. Yes it would have been a lot of unrequired drama if Jeremy did speak up about what he saw. Yes you did remember correctly, I did mention something about how they could possibly have children. I can assure that you will find out if it's possible or not by the end of the story, I won't leave that unanswered.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes poor Dri indeed, if she had grown up in the world she should have she would have the same understanding but she didn't. She grew up with the humans and the knowledge that she will get her happily ever after, it's not something she can instantly forget. It's why Nikolaus was able to easily push aside the whole no kids issue.**


	97. Chapter 97

**Chapter 97**

Adrianna POV

I couldn't sleep, tomorrow was the day of the senior final trials and I was nervous as hell. I knew I had watched the past three years' worth of seniors but I still didn't know what to expect tomorrow, I didn't know if I was going to have a harder trial compared to my classmates since I had killed a Strigoi and they hadn't or would I be treated the same.

I had snuck out of the dorm and I was sitting in the clearing, for once I had used the back door not wanting to be bothered by anyone. I just wanted to sit out here in the sun and the fresh air to try and clear my mind.

"I don't know if I should be offended or not" I turned and looked at Nikolaus, he had a smile on his face so I knew he wasn't angry.

"I can successfully sneak out without being caught" I turned back and looked out ahead of me and rested my chin on my knees. Nikolaus came and sat down next to me

"Worried about tomorrow?"

"That obvious?"

"A little, I also know you Dri. You'll do fine tomorrow, I don't know what you're so worried about. You've watched the past three years' worth of seniors do this, you know what they had to do and in turn you know what is expected of you tomorrow"

"Not a single one of those seniors killed a Strigoi, won't they give me a different trial?"

"Most likely but why are you worried about this?"

"The senior trials are all about convincing a Moroi to run when you have no other option, what if I can't do that. What if I prove I am hopeless and the only thing I'm good at is fighting?"

"Dri I'm sure you will be fine tomorrow, you will be able to convince the Moroi to run or even listen to you but for now you need to get some rest for tomorrow" Nikolaus stood up and held his hand out for me.

I was used to him trying to quickly convince me to go inside when he was doing the night time guard shifts since he couldn't actually stay for a while. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up, too quickly actually and I became dizzy.

"Woah..." I put my hands out in hopes of everything straightening out.

"You alright?" he placed his hands on my waist to help steady me.

"Yeah I think so, I've been feeling nauseas lately and you pulled me up so fast everything spun"

"How long have you been feeling nauseas?"

"Just the last couple of days, I'm sure I'm fine" I gave him a smile

"You sure Dri?"

"I'll be fine, you worry too much" I gave him a smile before pulling out of his grasp and heading back to the dorm.

Truth was I was a little worried about the nauseas feeling that won't go away, if I could get pregnant then I would worry about it but I can't so I don't know what to think. When I made it back to my room I saw that I had a message on my phone, it was from Nikolaus.

_Please get some rest tonight, you will be fine tomorrow and if you still feel sick in the morning please let me know. I love you xo_

I don't know when I finally fell asleep but I woke up with the feeling of needing to throw up, I honestly wished I had my own bathroom and not one down the hall. I got out of my bed and rushed down the hall towards the bathroom hoping I wouldn't run into anyone.

When I left the toilet I found Emily standing there leaning against the sink. "That's four days in a row Dri"

"No shit Em, I was hoping it would pass"

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing, it's most likely a bug"

"Dri we don't get sick, its part of the Moroi blood in us"

"Then I don't know"

"Could you be pregnant?"

"You have to have sex for that to work"

"But Nikolaus"

"Is a dhampir, it won't work"

"You should go to the hospital and get it checked out"

"I'm sure I'm fine Em, maybe it's just nerves we have our trials today"

"Alright fine but if you throw up again tomorrow I'm dragging you there" and with that comment I began working around the whole bathroom issue just in case.

"I'm going to shower and get ready for the day"

I went to head back to my room but Emily's voice stopped me, "Dri"

"What Em?" I turned and faced her, worried about where this was going.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes I'm fine, as I said it's just nerves. You haven't told anyone else about this have you?"

"No of course not, you know the boys will automatically jump to conclusions about who you have had sex with"

"I know but you trust me when I say I can't be pregnant"

"I do Dri, don't worry"

"Thanks Em, it means a lot to me" I walked over and hugged her

"No worries, come on let's get ready we have a long day ahead of us"

Emily was right we did have a long day ahead of us, the spring trials were long since each novice had to go out on their own and face whatever challenges the Guardians had set up for us. I was worried because I knew my trial would be different, I made that change myself by killing the Strigoi when I was held captive. I didn't know what to expect going into the trial, I had asked both Rose and Eddie what they're trials were like and they were different. Rose had convince a 'Moroi' to follow her though the whole trial while Eddie only had to convince a 'Moroi' to follow him through a maze.

I knew I wouldn't have something as tough as Rose, she had killed a large number of Strigoi before her trials but I also knew I wouldn't have something as simple as what Eddie had and I'm assuming the rest of my novice class will get.

I knew Nikolaus would know what was going on with the trails, he would know the order, who was going to get what challenge and most importantly what was different about mine but he wouldn't budge.

"Glad to see your on time for once Ivashkov" I looked up at Guardian Todd and flashed him a smile, he just shook his head at me.

One of the sports fields had been transformed to look like an arena with a grandstand so the rest of the school could watch. In previous years even Moroi and other Guardians had visited to watch the trials and see who the top of the class is.

"I just wanted to be able to grace you with my presence that little bit longer"

"No you don't, you just want to be able to annoy me for that little bit longer"

"Exactly and what would you do without me next year?"

"I'm sure I will have a peaceful time here"

"Oooo maybe I should fail to annoy you next year" I grinned at him and the look on his face was amazing

"Just go and find Anastas Ivashkov"

"But you're more fun to annoy then him"

"Dri!" I flashed Todd another smile before walking past him to where Nikolaus was frowning, he had obviously witnessed my conversation with Todd.

"You're really going to fail just to annoy Todd?"

"No but the look on his face was priceless, I would honestly do that again just to see the face"

"Seriously Dri focus here"

"Why you won't tell me anything"

"You know what to expect though"

"No, I know mine will be different and you won't tell me how"

"Because I'm not allowed too just like everyone else knows they're going in and having to convince a 'Moroi' to follow them through something but they don't know what obstacle"

"But…"

"Dri don't, this isn't the place" Nikolaus leaned forward and lowered his voice, he was right. He knew that if we were alone in the gym I would frown, pout and do whatever else I could that I knew would to soften him up

"I'm sorry"

"I know and it's fine, are you feeling better this morning?"

"No but I will be fine" I honestly wished I could lie to him, I didn't want him to worry about why I wasn't feeling the best.

"Dri you should have said something when you woke up"

"Don't start on this I'm fine, aren't you meant to be giving me some encouraging advice as to what I should be doing today instead of ignoring you"

"You don't want watch your friends go through their trial?"

"No, I can't. It's different being in here then out in the stands watching"

"You will be fine, you proved that you will be an amazing Guardian Dri. You were the top novice during the field experience, you will do fine with this"

"But what if I don't, what if I completely stuff it up?"

"You won't, just trust me on this Dri"

"You honestly can't tell me anything?"

"It won't be as bad as you think, you will honestly be fine"

I just looked at him not knowing what to say, right now I honestly wished things were different. I wanted him to wrap his arms around me and reassure me that way but he couldn't and it sucked. I hated that things were this hard between us, I couldn't wait until they were easier after this weekend.

"I know Dri" I looked up at him and he had a sad smile on his face, I can't believe he knew what I was thinking.

We just stayed like that, talking while waiting for my name to be called out. I had heard Emily and Stefan already go out but I hadn't seen them come back, maybe they didn't come back this way.

"Adrianna Ivashkov" I heard Alberta's voice ring from the stadium, it was finally my time to go out and I wasn't ready. I didn't know what to expect going in

"You will be fine Dri"

"Thanks" I gave him a small smile and that was when he leaned closer to me, I thought for a moment he was going to kiss me but instead he whispered in my ear

"I love you and I'm so proud of how far you have come"

I smiled at him before heading to the entrance, this was the moment I had trained so hard for, I trained so I could make it to the trials and be able to graduate with my friends tomorrow. All my concerns about being a Guardian and my placement I would worry about when I made it to Court.

I headed out and the first thing I came across was a huge rock climbing wall, I stared at it for a moment but it was when I heard movement behind me. I quickly spun around and noticed a fake Strigoi running at me, I was barely out here two minutes and I was already being attacked.

Once I hit the fake Strigoi with the blunt stake I made my way for the wall, I figured the quicker I got up there the better look of the field I would get. I was half way up when I was cursing the Guardians, why didn't we do more rock climbing stuff in class. I think I did it freshman year and that was it, I made the mistake of looking down when I noticed another fake Strigoi following me up the wall.

I had to make the quick decision of either working my way up the top and fight them up there with no idea what to expect up there or wait for them to catch up and try and kick them off the wall. In the end I decided to wait and go with what I already knew, I knew what was around me. I waited for the fake Strigoi to come up and when it was close enough I tightened my grip on the wall and began aiming kicks at their head hoping more than anything I wouldn't cause to much pain.

The fake Strigoi eventually fell and I was able to continue my way the rest of the way up the wall, I didn't want to see the Guardian land on the ground I felt bad enough for kicking them in the head. When I was up the top I finally was able to see the rest of the field, in front of me was a bridge that did not look stable, further out was what looked like a maze, I also couldn't see what was further out behind the maze but it was the other end of the bridge that worried me. There was another fake Strigoi and they were just waiting for me, I had a feeling as soon as I stepped foot on the bridge they would come running at me.

I turned around and looked down the wall and saw that another Strigoi was heading up, damn it they were going to try and corner me. I had to think what to do here, I didn't know what to do here. I had to go across the bridge but the path was blocked and I couldn't go backwards, it wasn't allowed.

In the end I stepped on the bridge testing it's strength, I honestly hoped it would be strong enough for what I had planned and I needed to time it right for this to work. I saw the one in front of me head my way and I looked back just in time to see the other one had made it to the top. I stopped in the middle of bridge and just waited, when they were both on the bridge and close enough to me I decided it was the right time and I just hoped this would work.

I grabbed the rope that was being used as the railing and jumped over the side to try and tipped the bridge and get rid of them. I watched as they both fell and I looked with relief to find that there was a soft landing for them.

I now had to pull myself up, I don't think I could ever thank Nikolaus for all of the conditioning training he had given me. All the weights, push ups, pull ups, everything that made this possible. I honestly believed if it wasn't for all of that I wouldn't have been able to do it. I kept a hold of the rope when both of my feet were planted on the bridge, I had to wait till it stopped swinging so much before I could move.

I finally made it to the other side and down the wall when I finally came across my 'Moroi' they were cowering on the ground while being surrounded by fake Strigoi. I ran straight towards the group, shocking the first one and being able to get the jump on them and 'kill' them before making my way to the second and third ones.

I was glad there were only three fake Strigoi, it made it easier to keep an eye on both the fake Strigoi and the fake Moroi. I finally disposed of the last fake Strigoi and knelt down beside the fake Moroi.

"It's alright, they're dead" I spoke calmly and when they looked up I was shocked, it was actually a Moroi I had to protect in this thing.

"Surprised" oh I was, this was Mr Fields. Fields was the Moroi defence teacher, originally it was Guardians that took their class but as time went on it was easier having Moroi teach Moroi since there was such differences in our body structure and it easier to be taught by our own.

"Oh I am, I'm assuming you don't know how to fight"

"You got it"

"Alright come on, I think we're meant to go this way" I wanted to know why I was given a Moroi, normally we were given Guardians because if for some reason something went wrong Guardians are more volatile and can handle more pain, I suppose that's why I was given Mr Fields. He had similar training to us and could handle the hits but still why an actual Moroi?

The maze was next and I was not looking forward to this, I always got lost in mazes I could never work out how to get out. I quickly looked behind us and saw no one was coming from behind us, I turned back ahead of us. I couldn't see much ahead in the maze and I honestly hoped there wasn't someone lurking behind a corner waiting to jump out.

"We have to go through the maze" I stepped towards it and noticed that Mr Fields didn't follow, I turned and looked at him. "I promise we will be fine, to get out of here we have to go through the maze. I will keep you safe, do you trust me?" he nodded and stepped in beside me.

I didn't know how long I had been out here and I knew that time was a factor, I wanted to go faster but I couldn't exactly tell that to the Moroi, he was meant to be scared and most people don't tend to run when they're scared unless it's in the opposite direction, it's the whole flight or fight thing.

"Stop" I whispered when I heard a noise. I looked behind me and saw no one, this was actually a straight part of the maze so I knew we were safe but we were almost at the next corner.

Mr Fields stopped and looked at me. "Just wait here" he nodded at me and I stepped forward to get closer to the corner, I tried to make my movements clumsy hoping to make them think I was the Moroi. I got closer and an arm shot out to grab me.

I grabbed the arm before it grabbed me and slammed them against the side of the maze. There was a bit of a fight between the two of us but I was able to eventually get the blunt stake aimed above their heart and they dropped like they were dead.

I looked back at Mr Fields and he was perfectly fine, just like I promised him he would be. We finally made it to the end of the maze and I was grateful, I honestly thought I would fail because I couldn't get us out of the maze. We had only come across another three more fake Strigoi on our way out and I wasn't paying attention to who they were, I didn't know who I would have to apologise to when I was finished.

Mr Fields had been a trooper, he had been grabbed twice and I was able to get him out of the hold and push him back before attempting to kill the fake Strigoi. I was even being careful with my movements with him, I didn't want to hurt the Moroi, I was meant to protect them not injure them.

"This is where I leave you Miss Ivashkov"

"Seriously, that was it?"

"No, you still have one obstacle left but I won't be there. You will be doing it on your own"

"Oh…"

"And I'm meant to take your stake" I stared at him, we were given the stake for a reason. It was to kill the fake Strigoi, if he took it how was I meant to kill whoever I went against next. "I'm sorry but I have too"

"Here" I handed it over and began running towards the next area, I needed to be careful with the time. I didn't have to worry about the Moroi, I could go at my own pace.

I didn't know what to expect going in, I couldn't see anything that gave it away, would a bunch of fake Strigoi be hiding behind whatever there was or would they wait till I was in the middle and then they would come running at me.

I was faced with another shock when I made it there, I honestly hoped this would be the last one. There were rocks everywhere and Nikolaus was standing on top of one of the rocks and in his hand was a blunt stake that was my next challenge. Steal the stake and kill him with it, this would be hard. I had enough trouble fighting him during field experience and I already had the stake.

I moved with caution, I didn't know when he was going to drop down but when I was closer to him I noticed the smirk on his face he dropped down the other side and out of my sight.

"Damn it" I had to chase him, that's why he was smirking. It was the stupid hide and seek reference I always made with him.

This was different to the maze, there were multiple ways in and out of this and multiple ways for him to jump out at me. I wanted to move with caution but I couldn't, the time was an issue. I wanted to run but I knew the noise would distract me from being able to hear his movements and the ground wasn't solid, it was all rocky as well.

I finally found him again and he was standing at the edge of a clearing, why didn't I see this up on the bridge, was it hidden from view on purpose. I moved closer to him and noticed that the stake was no longer in his hands.

"Where did you put it?"

"Come here and find out yourself"

"You would like that wouldn't you?" once I said it I couldn't believe how sexual that sounded and by the look on his face he had heard it that way as well, I just hoped no one else did as well.

I moved closer to the middle of the clearing opening he would come closer, I didn't want to fight him close to the rocks, I knew I shouldn't be worried about hurting the Guardians but this was different. I could kill them if their head hit the rocks too hard but I was glad when he stepped closer to me.

"Where did you put the stake?"

"But hide and seek is your favourite game Dri" great he was even taunting me, this was bullshit and he knew it. That's why he was put against me, it was then I wondered if all seniors went against their mentor in the last challenge.

"You don't leave me a choice then" I stepped forward hoping to make him think I was going to throw a punch but I didn't, I hoped I could fake him out.

It worked and he put an arm out to block my attack and I grabbed it allowing me to swing him around. I needed to find this stake and I honestly hoped it was on him but I couldn't see it which meant he hid it. I pushed him away and run towards where he was waiting for me hoping to find the stake but he chased after me.

He grabbed me and spun me around so I was facing him, he knew I needed to find the stake and he was stalling purpose. I kicked out his legs so I could continue running to where he was standing originally to look for the stake.

He got up quicker than I thought he would and instead of making a grab for me he tackled me down to the ground this time. I always struggled getting out from underneath him when he had me pinned at the ground and this was no different.

I was kicking at him, throwing punches and attempting to push him off me. It took a while but I eventually got there. I was able to stand up and make a run for it hoping he wouldn't catch me this time.

I finally found it sitting on the ground on the other side of a rock. I picked it up and turned around to find Nikolaus standing there.

"It's not nice to knee people in the stomach Dri" I managed to get away by kneeing him the stomach, I was just glad I got his stomach and not his balls.

I wanted to be back out in the clearing where we had more room but he wouldn't let that happen not now and he had me cornered. I had to think of a way out but the only thing I could think of I didn't want to do, if he knew me so well he knew what my last option was and he wouldn't have done it if this was dangerous.

"I'm sorry" I whispered and it shocked him, I quickly reached out to grab his head and knock it against the rocks before hitting him with the stake killing him.

He dropped to the ground and I stood there for a few seconds waiting for the siren letting me know I was finished, when I heard it I dropped to make sure he was alright.

"Nikolaus, please tell me you're alright" a smile appeared on his face before his eyes opened

"Don't worry Dri, they're fake. Only the first one was real hence why I was standing on it" I narrowed my eyes at him before standing up, I put my hand on the rock and he was right, they were fake.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! Wow, long chapter but I couldn't break it up. I hope everyone enjoys my version of the final trials.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to. Yes James does have feelings for Emily, but sadly you had to wait and see if she returns them. A little Dri or Nikolaus running around would be cute wouldn't it? Again wait and see.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm sad to say that the stolen moments are almost at an end since Dri is now at her graduation. I thought it was perfect for him to say since she was worried about what he wanted in the future, yes Nikolaus had said that he loved but nothing like that. I'm sorry you have to wait and see if Emily returns the feelings with James but if Emily does feel the same she is keeping them to herself because she doesn't want Dri to play match maker, it was mentioned in the same chapter Emily said the two of them had sex.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. You will find out soon enough about the rumours.**

**Guest**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I can assure you that most of my characters get their happily ever after by the time the Epilogue is posted and James' next girl will not cheat on him. That is how I've seen the relation between Emily, Dri and Stefan a sort of brother sister thing.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It is very cute about James not peeking in Emily's head, I wanted to do to show that Emily is different for James. I never thought about giving Dri her own Guardian but her future is set out so she is safe so don't worry about that.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me.**


	98. Chapter 98

**Chapter 98**

Adrianna POV

I was exhausted, I didn't notice just how exhausted I was when I first stopped but when Nikolaus guided me off the field towards the exit and handed me a bottle of water that was when it hit me.

Just as I was about to open my mouth and ask Nikolaus how my trial was different I heard a voice behind me. "DRI! You're in so much trouble" I spun around and found both Matt and Nate running towards me, I had no idea the two of them were allowed to watch this. They weren't a part of the upper class yet, or was it because I was participating they were allowed.

"Why am I in trouble?"

"Because you jumped off the bridge" Matt spoke and I couldn't believe that the two of them were grinning, I didn't know if it was because I was getting in trouble or if it was because I jumped off the bridge.

"What do you mean you jumped off the bridge?" I turned around and looked at Nikolaus, he looked angry.

"You didn't see?"

"No"

"It was incredible, oh my god. She grabbed the edge of the bridge and jumped off! She was like a girl version of superman, it was amazing!" Nate exclaimed and I couldn't help but laugh at him, I looked to side and noticed Nikolaus looking even angrier, I was not thrilled knowing there would be a lecture from him later on.

"Adrianna!" crap now dad was here, Nikolaus turned and left. We had both been avoiding being in the same space as dad, we didn't want him to get a look at our auras.

"Apparently I'm in trouble?" I flashed him an innocent looking smile

"Yes you are, I can't believe you jumped off the bridge"

"I held on to the rope"

"But that fall was meant to stimulate death"

"Oh god the Guardians that fell off"

"Are fine, there was a foam pit at the bottom just in case but honestly Dri did you really have to jump over the side?"

"How else was I meant to get rid of them?"

"I don't know"

"Exactly, you can't be mad"

"Dri I was really worried"

"Dad's right, you should have seen his face when you jumped off"

"Speaking of which, can you teach us how to do that?" they both grinned at me

"NO WAY! Matthew and Nathaniel will not be learning how to do that!" Oo that got both of them, they flinched before running off

"You didn't have to scare them off dad"

"I'll apologise later, as much as you scared the shit out of me jumping of the bridge like that I'm incredibly proud of how well you handled yourself out there Dri" dad wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head, I couldn't help but smile in response. This was the first time someone had said something on my trial, Nikolaus hadn't had the chance

"Thanks dad it means a lot"

"Your welcome, come on you were last and everyone's meeting in one of the larger meeting rooms for the ceremony"

"I was last?"

"Yes you were, you didn't notice how empty it got back there?"

"Didn't take any notice" I shrugged and he shook my head, he knew what I was like when I was nervous and he knew me well enough to know I would have been nervous before my trail

"Come on then"

I followed dad towards the meeting room where myself and the rest of the senior class would receive their Promise mark to indicate they have graduated. I didn't know what to expect coming in here, I walked in and spotted Nikolaus standing there talking to Todd and Tanner. He spotted me but instantly turned away, I had a feeling he was annoyed about hearing that I jumped off a bridge. I spotted Emily, Stefan and Carter off to the side. I made my way over to them and Emily practically threw herself at me.

"Holy crap Dri, that was amazing. I can't believe you threw yourself off the bridge" Emily spoke as she pulled away from me

"Why how did you do it?" I looked at them hoping I would now find out how mine was different

Carter and Stefan shared a look before Carter spoke. "We only had one fake Strigoi on the bridge Dri"

"Great, so I get given two fake Strigoi on the bridge and get yelled at by dad for jumping off but yet no one can tell me how they would have done it"

"Dri we probably would have either did what you did or run at the first one and hope to depose of it before the other one caught up" Stefan walked over and put an arm around my shoulder and I leaned into him. I'm still exhausted from my trial and just wanted my bed.

"I thought of that but I didn't want to get stuck in between two on that bridge"

"We know that Dri but you did really well" I heard Emily's voice but I didn't look over at her

Just as I was about to open my mouth and ask what else was different Alberta got everyone's attention to begin the process, it was going to be long since every single novice had to get their tattoo as well as having their final grades read out and it was going from the bottom to the top. I was curious as to where everyone was placed and to find out where I ended up after everything.

The final grades were based on the average of all four years at the senior campus, even though I had been near the top of the class for senior and most of sophomore year it would be freshmen year that would bring my average down. As I suspected Lindsay did end up failing by looking around the room and seeing a lack of shocked faces, everyone else suspected as much considering how poorly she performed in classes, both theory and practical

_Position_

_Novice_

10th

Bradley Mayfair

9th

Patrick Jenkles

8th

Daniel Marbles

7th

Sarah Zenkle

6th

Clarke Wood

5th

Emily Ayles

4th

Adrianna Ivashkov

3rd

Stefan Watson

2nd

Toby Mills

1st

Carter Emerson

I know I didn't expect to be given the top position, it didn't matter if I earned it during field experience my overall grades weren't the best especially from freshman year but I didn't think I would have done that well to be in the top five. I was so proud of my friends though, Carter had been the top of our class and Stefan was third while Emily was fifth, even Sarah and Daniel had been placed in the top ten.

I finally made it back to my room and I was exhausted, it had been such a long day and I couldn't wait to curl up in my bed even after our trials and the tattooing process we had a party and I didn't want to be there, my bed was calling me. All I had to get through was tomorrow and then we were off to Court the day after. Tomorrow was the Moroi graduation Ceremony, after tomorrow James was being taken to the airport where he was going back to his old school to watch his old school friends graduate before meeting up with us at Court.

I was finally in bed when my phone rang, I picked it up and looked at the caller ID, it was Nikolaus. I don't know why he was calling me, he rarely did it was always messaging.

"Hello"

"_Come meet me in the clearing"_

"But I'm tired"

_"Now Dri"_ he growled in response and I knew I was in trouble

"Fine" I snapped at him before hanging up on him.

I climbed out of my bed and grabbed a baggy jumper before heading downstairs, I snuck past the dorm matron knowing they would ring Nikolaus anyway but he was the one that asked me to come down here.

"What is so important that I can't sleep?" I spoke as soon as I saw him but he wasn't facing me

He spun around and I could see the anger on his face but I didn't understand why he was so angry. "You jumped off the bridge!"

"Oh come on seriously, you're going to yell at me for that"

"You could have seriously hurt yourself"

"What about the Guardians that fell off?"

"They're both fine but it's not the point"

"Then how the hell was I meant to do that because I know the other novices didn't have to do that"

"We all ran at the fake Strigoi and took it out before turning on the other"

"What do you mean we?"

"After the obstacles were built last night a few of us did a run through to see what sort of time we should expect from you since we couldn't match your time to the others"

"I didn't want to get stuck between the two of them Nikolaus"

"But why did you have to jump off the bridge"

"You're making a big deal of it, I kept a hold of the rope and then jumped off"

"Dri"

"I get it alright but I'm fine and plus all that training you gave me made it possible for me to climb back up so thank you" I gave him a smile as I stepped closer to him, I watched as the anger disappeared from his face.

"I can't believe you jumped off the bridge"

"How did everyone expect me to do that, I've always done stupid things"

"We know this but still, you jumped off the bridge"

"I get it and everyone is angry I jumped off the bridge but at least I didn't destroy it, Rose did during her trials"

"I know, it's why they don't give knives out during the trials anymore"

"Make sense, now can you please tell me how my trial was different from everyone else?"

"Aren't you tired?"

"But I'm already out here" I laid down on the ground and sprawled out enjoying the sun.

"Enjoying the sun?" I looked up at him and noticed the smile on his face

"I am but please tell me" he sat down beside me

"Fine, so I'm assuming you know the bridge was different?" I nodded at him. "Alright so everyone had the first Strigoi come out at them but only you had them follow you up, Bishop only followed you up twice because you were meant to have two fake Strigoi on the bridge"

"What else?"

"You had to save your Moroi"

"Speaking of which, why was my Moroi an actual Moroi?"

"They thought you might be more cautious with an actual Moroi"

"And I was, I'm also assuming it was why I was given Mr Fields just in case I wasn't cautious"

"Of course now the maze was the same, maybe a couple more Strigoi than the others. The amount of Strigoi you faced in the maze was based on your field experience scores"

"I'm also assuming I was the only one that had their stake taken"

"Yes and I'm sorry if it freaked you out"

"It did a little but I felt better knowing it was you in the end, anything else?"

"Yes the final challenge was completely different, you only had to face me while the others faced multiple Strigoi plus their mentor. I think Stefan faced five in total at different times"

"Why was mine different?"

"Because of the kidnapping, you had to fight and look for a weapon. They wanted to do that again, it's why I hid it, it's why I made it hard for you. I knew you would chase me because you had no other choice, you saw I had the weapon. If you didn't you would have searched for something else, even taunting you. I knew what to press with you"

"I noticed that"

"Speaking of which, that sexual comment you made" he raised an eyebrow at me and I laughed

"I didn't mean for it to come across that way"

"I know but why did you apologise before grabbing my head, that's the only reason you were able too. You shocked me with that"

"I honestly thought the rocks were real and I was trapped in there after picking up the stake, I didn't know what else to do"

"I figured but did you really think I would have followed you in and trapped you there if the rocks were real?"

"No it's why I actually did it, I figured they were fake. I didn't think you would get out of it pain free completely, I was worried to hurt you"

"Oh but you weren't worried when you tipped the bridge and threw the other Guardians off?"

"No I was worried but I saw the soft landing, who were the Guardians anymore?"

"Bishop and Tanner"

"I should really apologise for throwing them off"

"Dri I'm sure they understand"

"I still feel bad though"

"I know but I can assure you they are both fine"

"You promise"

"I do Dri"

"Just think, I've graduated now and the day after tomorrow we will be at Court"

"I know and I can't wait" he smiled at me and I just wanted to lean over and kiss him but I couldn't, I had to hold back

"What you can't wait to face dad?" I stuck my tongue out

"Real mature Dri but no, well partly. Facing your dad means we don't exactly have to hide anymore, we will have to be careful but we won't have to hide"

"Why would we have to be careful?"

"Because we can't let them think this has been going on as long as it has been, they need to think it's new and nothing happened while I was your teacher"

"I get it but some people will work it out"

"I know Dri but still"

"I know Nikolaus, we will be careful but it will be easier for us"

"It will, how are you feeling?"

"Better actually maybe it's finally passed"

"You sure?"

"You worry too much"

"You said you were nauseas and dizzy last night and the same again this morning"

"And now I'm fine, I promise"

"Will you please tell me if it comes back?"

"I don't really have a choice do I?"

"Well you do, I'll just be annoyed if I find out you didn't tell me"

"Why though?"

"Dri we don't get sick so there must be something wrong for you to be sick, it could be serious. You need to get it checked out"

"You sound like Emily" I pulled a face at him and he didn't look happy at knowing Emily knew but didn't force me to get checked out

"Emily knows?"

"Yeah she caught me throwing up in the bathroom the other day"

"Dri…"

"Don't, I feel fine"

"Alright, come on let's get you back up to your bed so you can sleep and some rest" he stood up and held his hand out for me.

I grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull me up like every other time we've come out here. "You know I'm going to miss this clearing, it was always just the two of us here" I was shocked when he wrapped his arms around me.

"I know but I'm sure we will find another place like this, I'm sure there are plenty at Court just like this or maybe better"

"We shouldn't stay here like this"

"I know, come on. I'll help sneak you in" he softly pressed his lips to my head before pulling away.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. All I can say is wait and see**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the trials, I think that might have been that hardest part to write in the story, I had a rough guideline for the trails from the book but they stated that Rose's was different so I had to adjust it. As for if Dri is pregnant or not, wait and see**

**Dhruvharshita**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you did really well on the exam even though I have no idea what it is. I'm glad you enjoy the end of the chapter and as for if Dri is pregnant, wait and see.**

**AnthroMed2014**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the trial.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the trail as well as the banter and hide and seek, I figured since I made enough references to hide and seek it should be used at that point.**

**Amorsagirl**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you found it exciting and enjoyed the trail. As for how many Strigoi she came across I don't know, I was counting I was just throwing them in. As for being number 1 I couldn't do it, it didn't sit right. I went over the book for information on the trial and the graduation process and everything else that happens before they get placed with a Moroi and it was said that their overall grade is from all four years and I don't think Dri would have done as well in the beginning. As for the rocks, I almost left it there with another cliff hanger and I was like I can't, it's just as easy to put in a couple of words to say he was fine. As for Dri being pregnant and everything else you said, wait and see.**


	99. Chapter 99

**Chapter 99**

Adrianna POV

As soon as the plane landed in Court I spotted Rose and Dimitri, they were standing off to the side watching all the novices get off the plane. I didn't know if they were waiting for me or if they were checking out the new Guardians, and god was that weird to say. I was so used to saying novices when it came to my class mates and now we were all Guardians.

I got my answer about what Rose and Dimitri were doing here, as soon as they laid eyes on me they moved closer to me.

"Come on Dri, you're coming with us. You don't need the same tour the rest of them are getting" I looked over at my friends, Stefan and Emily didn't need the tour but yet I was still getting taken away and they weren't.

"What's going on?"

"You've got a meeting with Guardian Croft, we need to discuss what's happening with your placement"

"Why now? Why not tomorrow after the meet and greet with the Moroi?" Tomorrow there was this big luncheon where all the new Guardians got to meet the Moroi looking for new Guardians, most of them were royal but there were a few high powered Moroi that would be present as well.

Over the years Lissa tried to change who got Guardians but after it was decided that the Moroi could learn self-defence and offensive magic, it was mostly only the non-royal Moroi that were more willing to learn the two. The big changes that affected their lives and lifestyle there was only so much Lissa could do before they requested a change of leadership, she had to take her time and on something like this she was still out numbered.

"Because there is no point for you to be there if you don't want to guard Moroi"

"Why am I getting this choice? Why me? I don't get it! I just proved I'm as good as the rest of my classmates, I scored in the top five and during field experience I was the top novice"

"Tell me something Dri, has your policy changed on the whole they come first rule we follow?" I stared at Dimitri, I didn't realise he knew I thought that. I know I had voiced my concerns about that to Rose, I just didn't think she would tell him.

"Dri its fine if you say you don't understand it or believe in it. You didn't grow up with it like we did, you didn't grow up with that saying forced down your throat and you didn't grow up hearing stories about Strigoi raiding houses where people you knew lived. Dri you've been lucky, the four years you have been in this world you haven't heard of anyone that you know dying. The closest person would be Nikolaus' mum last Christmas"

"If you don't want to guard a Moroi they won't force you but they do hope you do decide to become a Guardian, you are extremely gifted and we all believe that if you grew up in this world you would have blown away your classmates and smashed Carter's first place score"

"If I said I wanted to guard a friend would I be guaranteed them?"

"We don't know that, it's up to them"

"It's alright I get it but can't I at least think about it? Don't I get the chance to think about what I want for the rest of my life?"

Rose and Dimitri shared a look before Rose finally spoke. "You can't talk to Nikolaus." I couldn't believe they thought I needed his advice on this.

"I don't want too, I just want time to think about this myself. I need to work out what I want with my life Rose, I don't know if I want to spend my life guarding someone I don't know or do I want to be guarding my friends. I felt claustrophobic spending six days straight with Jeremy, I didn't get my space. I need to think about this, please?"

"Alright fine, come on we will go to the meeting and give you time to think but this meeting needs to happen today."

I followed them and in the end I was only given an hour to think about it, was an hour really enough to think about my future? I didn't think so, I didn't know what to say. I tried to even ask Hans the same question I did Dimitri, would I be guaranteed my friends and he said he couldn't guarantee that. In the end I said, if I couldn't get my friends I wanted to stay at Court.

This then resulted in me not having to attend the meet and greet with the Royals, which I was thankful for. My past experience with Royals wasn't the best, Michael was a Royal and after everything I went through with him I was worried someone else would try and then all the Royals at the Christmas ball last year that were hitting on me was too much.

I was sitting in one of the small gardens waiting till the luncheon was finished so I could be with my friends, I wanted to know how it was and actually spend time with them before everything changed. Within a week we would all have our placements and it wouldn't be long before everyone took off to their own respective futures.

"You alright Dri?" I turned around and found Nikolaus heading my way

"I'm fine, just waiting for my friends. They're at the luncheon with all the Royals" he walked over and sat down next to me

"Why aren't you there?"

"Because I told Guardian Croft that unless I can get placed with my friends I want to stay at Court, I don't know how I will go guarding someone I don't know. Even during field experience I was placed with a friend"

"At least you made a decision and have somewhat of an idea, do your friends know you can be an option"

"No clue, I don't know what the Moroi know. Do you know what's happening with you yet?"

"I have a meeting with Hans in a couple of days, I will find out then"

"If you get given the option what will you chose?"

"Dri…"

"Don't there are no excuses for this anymore, we aren't at St Vladimir's. We're at Court and you're no longer my teacher, we don't…" but he cut me off with a kiss.

Had he forgotten that now we're at Court everything was different and hearing me say it made him realise or was he just waiting for the right moment to kiss me or did he just want to shut me up. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck knotting one of my hands in his hair.

"ADRIANNA MEREDITH IVASHKOV!" Holy fucking shit that was dad's voice.

"Fuck…" Nikolaus whispered as he pulled away.

I turned and faced dad, I don't know what was on his face. I had never seen him look like this. "Dad please let me explain."

"Explain what, you're kissing a teacher?"

"He's not my teacher anymore, I've graduated and I'm technically a Guardian" I noticed dad's eyes flicking between the two of us, I didn't know if I should be worried or not.

"You're right and I'm sorry"

"I'm sorry what did you just say?" I stared at him in shock, I honestly did not expect that reaction or did he actually trust me every time I said nothing was happening between Nikolaus and I?

But dad didn't say anything in return, he just stared at us. I was a little scared about what was happening since it was the same look I saw on James whenever he was trying to read us. This was the reason why we were avoiding being in the same place as dad, we didn't want him to read our auras. James had already said it was obvious we were loved each other and were perfect for each other, Lissa had said the same thing.

"Does James know?" dad finally spoke and I knew what he meant.

"That's a stupid question dad, that kid knows everything"

"You're right and you know what you two are getting yourselves into?"

"Sort of but there is also Rose and Dimitri."

"Okay and I'm not done with you." the whole conversation had been between dad and I up until that sentence, it was said while looking at Nikolaus. It was obvious dad wanted to a private conversation with Nikolaus and I was a little scared about what was going to happen.

Dad didn't say anything else, he just turned and left. I turned and faced Nikolaus. "See wasn't so bad."

"Right the guy now wants a private conversation with me but how did he take it all so easily."

"I've got no clue, I have a feeling he will blow up once we're in private." I looked down at my fidgeting hands and it didn't take long for him to place them in his to stop me.

"I'm sure it will be fine Dri, if not you know where I will be."

"I know." I smiled at him before leaning forward to rest my head against his chest and it took a second for his arms to wrap around me.

"Sorry, habit"

"Its fine" I looked up at him and smiled. "I love you"

"I love you two Dri" he leaned down and kissed me again. I honestly couldn't get sick of this, I liked this feeling of not having to worry about people seeing us anymore because it didn't matter.

"I don't think I'll be able to get used to this feeling but I should go find dad, there has to be a reason why he didn't freak out."

"I'll find you later," I smiled as Nikolaus kissed my forehead. I pulled out of his arms and went in the direction I saw dad go, I just hoped he was heading home first.

"Dad please tell me you're home?" I called out when I finally made it home but I wasn't met with a response. I check every room on the ground floor and I still hadn't found him, I checked his office last and I was glad he was in there. "Didn't you hear me calling for you?" I stayed in the doorway not knowing what to expect.

"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME ADRIANNA! He was your teacher!"

"Of course you'd yell at me once we were alone" I rolled my eyes at him but didn't move from my spot.

"Don't roll your eyes at me!"

"Seriously this is bullshit, he's not my teacher anymore there is nothing wrong with it and I thought you promise the next time I did something you didn't approve of you would have a rational conversation with me and not yell at me" I watched him carefully, I wondered if he actually remembered that conversation. I did only because I remembered him promising to have a rational conversation with me and not yell, I just hoped I could get through the rest of the year and save that up for this moment.

Dad placed his elbows on his desk and rested his hand in his hands. It wasn't until he let out a sigh that he finally looked up at me. "How long?" this is what I was worried about, I just hoped this would be the rational conversation I wanted.

"How long what?"

"How long have you been in love with him?"

"I realised the feelings were there not long before I was kidnapped, I'm assuming that's what you saw in our auras?"

"It was, what about him?"

"You'll have to ask him"

"Is there anything you can tell me?"

"Is there anything you want to know?"

"Adrianna…" dad growled and I knew where this was going, he wanted to know if anything happened while I was his student. I just hoped more than anything I can keep him believing nothing happened and that kiss he had just witnessed was the first.

"Don't dad, I don't have to tell you anything I'm an adult but if you must know I'm not stupid. I haven't done anything stupid, so don't worry about me" I snapped at him before leaving his office, I heard him yell we're not done with this. I ignored him and headed upstairs to my room, I didn't even know if this was still my room or not

I collapsed on my bed and sent Nikolaus a message.

_Dad did blow up like I thought but he calmed down eventually and he did read our auras, he asked how long I was in love with you and I told him the truth but then he asked about you. I told him he had to ask you, I didn't know what else to say. It was all fine until I asked if there was anything he wanted to know, that was when it turned he got angry again so I snapped at him. I don't know what is going to happen now, I just thought you should know. I love you xo_

_Maybe we should work out what we're going to say to him? We will need some sort of a cover story. I love you too xo_

_We'll come up with something, I'll talk to you later._

_You should come by later, at least you won't have to worry about being home tonight_

_Are you hinting at what I think you're are?_

_If you mean you're cooking lessons then yes_

_Oh you're funny_

I put my phone away and left my room to go find my friends, I just hoped they were at Emily's. I had no idea if she was staying there for the time being or if she had been given a place in the guest housing like the rest of the new Guardians.

I finally found them and they were at Emily's and they were sitting in the living room as usual plus there were a couple of extra people who weren't usually present at Court. I walked in and took a seat next to Emily

"How was the luncheon?" I questioned leaning against Emily

"Incredibly boring, I can't believe you didn't have to go" Stefan complained and I couldn't but notice that Carter was rolling his eyes

"Yeah how come you didn't have to go Dri?" Emily shoved me off her

"Because I told Guardian Croft I didn't want to guard someone I didn't know"

"Seriously?" Belle sounded shocked at this news

"Yeah, I didn't know if I would be able to do it" I looked at Carter as I spoke, out of all my dhampir friends he would be the one that wouldn't be able to understand my reluctance as well as Emily and Stefan since Carter didn't know everything that I had been through.

"So what's going to happen now Dri?" Carter questioned and I was just glad that was all he asked

"I don't know Carter, I will find out when the rest of you find out your placements"

"What about one of us?" Jeremy spoke up and I was glad he was taking it away from why I wasn't comfortable with a strange, at least he knew mostly everything.

"There is that option Jer, it just depends on what they want and who you guys want. Has James come back yet?"

"No he is meant to arrive in the morning, he wanted to spend some time with his mum before he came out here. I saw Millie at the luncheon" Stefan replied and I couldn't help but notice the strange smile on his face but I played it off.

"Fair enough, but shouldn't he have been at the luncheon as well?" I found it strange that James didn't have to be at the luncheon but I suppose him knowing who he wants would have been a plus and him being both a royal and a Spirit user he would most likely get his pick of Guardians.

"He said something about him already knowing who he wants as his Guardian" Stefan spoke, and we both knew that both James and Jeremy would get two Guardians but Belle and Lucas would be lucky if they got one, so we rarely mentioned that fact.

"There you go Dri, you can spend the rest of your life with James" Stefan laughed at Belle's comment, I wanted to laugh at well only because of why Stefan found it funny. Belle was hinting at a relationship between James and I having no idea I was madly in love with Nikolaus.

"Oo maybe I will have kids and start a family with him" I grinned at Emily and the look on her face made me think that maybe she did have feelings towards James. I was still annoyed that no matter how many times I pressed Emily for information as to if she had feelings for James or not she would deny it every single time.

James had to yet tell her that he had feelings towards her and I had a feeling Emily felt something towards him.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! So Dri is finally at Court and Adrian spotted the two of them together but this is only the beginning, they're conversation isn't over there is more to come.**

**Brooke**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you've enjoyed the chapters, I understand how life gets in the way trust me on that. If it wasn't for the fact that I've written ahead I wouldn't be updating anywhere near as much as I do. They are finally at Court and Adrian has finally found them in a compromising situation.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes they were mad at Dri for jumping off but that would be the difference between Dri and Rose. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and as for them telling Adrian, well it didn't happen. It actually found them…but it isn't the end.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. They did do well, I wanted them to because it helps with what I have planned for their future. As for Lindsay yes it does sound bad but I failed her for a reason, which will be revealed very soon. Don't worry the clearing won't be gone for good, they will find something similar and the clearing will come back again in the future but there was many cute moments there since I wanted to give them that clearing, I wanted them to be able to have those moments and forget about the difficulties in their lives. I think to us it is suspicious because we know what is going on but Adrian probably thinks Nikolaus had to be as soon as possible to help with the process.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Why would Dri go to the doctor? She is convinced she is feeling better?**


	100. Chapter 100

**Chapter 100**

Adrianna POV

When I woke up, I was a bit disorientated. I wasn't too sure where I was, I couldn't even remember what happened before I woke up. I sat up and looked around hoping I could see something but there was nothing, it looked like there was a sheet up separating the bed from wherever else I was. Just as I was about to get up off the bed Nikolaus appeared.

"You're awake" he stood there for a moment before he walked over to cup my face and kiss my forehead. I smiled at him as I laid back on the bed, it was easier between the two of us now that dad knew. Dad wasn't happy and I had spent the rest of yesterday avoiding him in hopes of avoiding another conversation about Nikolaus and I.

"I am, where am I?"

"The hospital, don't you remember what happened?"

"No, what did happen?" I moved over on the bed allowing him to get up beside me.

"Dri we were sparring and you passed out. At first I honestly thought it was my fault but I didn't even accidently hit you in the head" I snuggled in beside him and he wrapped an arm around me.

"What has the doctor said?"

"He wouldn't say anything until you woke up. I'm glad you're awake Dri, I was really worried"

"I'm sure I'm fine, if I didn't take any hits to the head then I should be fine" I knew if he knew I was still feeling nauseas he would be annoyed, I had been keeping it from him and pretending I was fine.

"But that's just it Dri, you passed out and I didn't hit you in the head. Something must be wrong for you to pass out" even though I couldn't remember what happened, I remember how I felt before sparring with Nikolaus. I was exhausted and I had spent the morning throwing up again, I was just glad he had gone to get us some breakfast and left me alone to shower.

"I'm sure I'm fine, you just worry too much" I leaned up and softly pressed my lips against his.

"Guardian Ivashkov, I'm glad to see you're awake" someone who I'm assuming was the doctor interrupted us. When I pulled away from Nikolaus he had his Guardian mask on but I could see the anger in his eyes, I smiled at him before turning and looking at the doctor.

"Are you able to tell me what's wrong?"

"I am but perhaps it will be better if Guardian Anastas left?" I looked over at him, it was never good news when they asked to speak to you alone.

"No, its fine he can stay"

"Are you sure?"

"I am, now what's wrong with me?" I growled at him and Nikolaus rubbed small circles on my arm to try and calm me down.

"Very well, well Guardian Ivashkov it seems as though you're pregnant" I stared at him before looking at Nikolaus, I could see the hurt pass through his eyes before it was only anger that appeared on his face. He pulled away from me and got off the bed where he proceeded to leave. I couldn't believe he actually thought I would cheat on him.

I turned and looked at the doctor. "You're wrong, there has to be some mistake"

"We ran the test three times" I shook my head at him before getting off the bed in hopes of catching up with Nikolaus.

I was glad I hadn't been changed out of my clothes and into one of the stupid hospital gowns that I was able to run after Nikolaus, I knew this isn't what you normally see of a Guardian but right now I didn't care. I needed to find Nikolaus, I needed him to believe me.

When I had left the hospital I hadn't found him, I headed to where he was staying in the guest housing hoping he had gone back there. I had been banging on his door trying to get his attention, I had even received a few strange looks from other Guardians but no one said anything. It wasn't until the door was finally pulled opened and I almost hit him in the face that I was shocked, I couldn't believe he believed what the doctor said.

"What do you want?" I have never heard him being this angry at me before and it shocked me

"The doctor's wrong, I can't be pregnant"

I could see the battle he was having between slamming the door in my face and letting me in, he eventually pushed the door opened further. "Come on, we'll talk in here"

I followed him inside and we both took a seat in the living room. "You have to believe me, I can't be pregnant"

"It's what the doctor said though"

"Unless we can magically have children then he's wrong, I haven't had sex with anyone else. How could you believe that?" I looked away from him as tears appeared in my eyes, it hurt knowing he could believe I would do something like that to him.

"Dri I'm sorry" Nikolaus appeared in my vision before he wiped my tears away. "Just hearing the doctor say you were pregnant and knowing there was no chance it was mine"

"But you honestly thought I would cheat on you? After everything we went through to get here, even after I told you I loved you I didn't date anyone else, kiss anyone else or even make them think I was interested in them"

"I'm sorry alright, what more do you want me to say?"

"You can't keep apologizing, you seriously thought I would cheat on you!"

"Dri" I shook my head at him as I stood up and pushed past him to leave the suite.

I was walking across the grounds trying to clear my head, I couldn't work out why the doctors thought I was pregnant and I couldn't believe that Nikolaus actually thought I cheated on him.

"Dri is that you?" I spun around and found James standing there, I hadn't seen him since graduation. He took off to go home and see his family as well as see his old friends graduate before coming back to Court for the Guardian assignments.

"When did you get back?"

"Early this morning, what's wrong?"

"I passed out while sparring with Nikolaus this morning, the doctors are convinced I'm pregnant"

"DRI! How could you" I reached over and hit his arm

"Why do you think I would cheat on Nikolaus, he thought the same thing. The doctor has to be wrong, I can't be pregnant"

"I'm sorry but how could a doctor get a false pregnancy result?"

"I didn't cheat on Nikolaus"

"Alright just stand still, let me see if I can do this after a couple of drinks" I frowned at him but did as he requested, I knew he drank to numb spirit. It was the only way it didn't affect him so much.

"That's weird"

"What's weird?"

"The gold in your aura is more prominent then what it usually is"

"How is that weird?"

"Gold is only seen in spirit users, we knew you had the gold as well but not much. In the whole time I've known you it hasn't changed but now, there's more of it"

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know, maybe we should ask your dad?"

"We're not telling him that the doctor thinks I'm pregnant"

"We won't tell him" there was something off about how he said that but I let it go and we headed towards my house hoping dad was home.

When we got home we found dad sitting in the living room with Lissa, they were both laughing about something and it wasn't long before the twins came running in to say hello.

"Can you two go bug Matt and Nate I have talk to dad and Lissa?"

"Okay" the chimed together before running upstairs.

"What's going on Dri?" I looked over at James, I didn't know what to say. Spirit wasn't my thing.

"Look at her aura"

I noticed them both concentrating on me, Lissa looked shocked and dad looked furious, what the hell was going.

"YOU'RE PREGNANT!" Dad yelled and I looked at James, why the hell didn't he say anything when he looked at my aura. Hell I didn't even know they could tell I was pregnant from the aura, I was really confused now. How the hell do I explain this?

"Oh that's what those funny colours were, guess I did have too much drink. Sorry Dri"

"If you did this to her, I will kill you" dad looked over at James and threatened him

"Dad calm down. My aura has to be wrong, I can't be pregnant" I looked over at Lissa and hoped she could help, where were Rose or Dimitri when I needed them?

"I'm sure James was talking about the fact that the gold is more intense at the moment"

"Yes dad, please tell me why that is happening because I'm the only person in this room that can't see auras so you all have to help me"

"You're pregnant?" dad repeated and we all stared at him, I guess he was still shocked about me being pregnant. Hell I'm shocked that I'm pregnant how the hell does that work, I thought two dhampirs couldn't get produce kids together

"Stop with the whole I'm pregnant thing, you have to wrong! I can't be pregnant!"

"I'm sorry Dri but you are pregnant"

"And I haven't had sex with any Moroi so it can't be true"

"YOU'VE ACTUALLY HAD SEX!"

"Lissa please help, we're getting side tracked here" I looked over at her and pleaded

"Adrian calm down. She is 19, she is allowed to be having sex. When did you start having sex" this caused dad to pull a face her and she smiled. "Exactly but what is worrying is the fact that she said she had sex with a dhampir and she's pregnant and her aura has more gold than usual"

"Fine, fine, I don't know why her aura has more gold in it. I don't read her aura all that often"

"Dri, you've even had morning sickness"

"STOP READING MY MEMORIES!" I yelled at James and he flinched, I can't actually remember the last time I yelled at him like this. "I'm sorry James" but he waved it off. "How about you three Spirit users try and work out what the hell is going on with me, if it has anything to do with me being _special_ then maybe I'll listen" I got up off the couch and headed upstairs towards to my room, I didn't want to deal with dad going on and on about me being pregnant it was becoming too much.

I walked over to my draws and pulled out the letter from my mum I had been wanting to read since Christmas but for some reason I had left it here not brought it to the academy with me

To be read when you fall in love

_Adrianna,_

_Being in love is the greatest feeling in the world but just because you're in love it doesn't mean it is right. You can fall in love multiple times before you find the person right for you._

_I hope you find someone that loves you when you wake up in the morning and I hope that person stops you from running to the bathroom to fix yourself before they can even get a peek at you. I hope they tell you how beautiful you, not just in the way you look but in the way you hold their hands and laugh at their jokes. I hope you find someone who sends you messages when they don't know whether to get coffee or tea at Starbucks. I hope that person shares their cookies with you when they only have one left in the jar. I hope they buy you pizza when you're having a crappy day and listen to you complain about the scripts in television shows that didn't go according to your plans. I hope you find someone whose kisses make you forget you were ever upset in the first place. I hope that person holds you like one would hold an antique vase. I hope the first thing they see in a crowd is your face and I hope they find you in everyone else they meet. I hope you find someone that will give you the wings to soar and I hope this person decides to fly with you. I hope you find someone that really deserves you as much as your deserve them and I hope you find that person._

_I hope more than anything you are happy with this person and they treat you right. Remember that your father won't be happy with whoever you fall in love, fathers are never meant to be happy with their daughter's boyfriend until they prove themselves so give Adrian some time._

_If you are ever confused about having to pick between two people, always pick the second one. If you really cared for the first you wouldn't have fallen for the second._

_Don't shy away from a relationship because it may seem wrong, sometimes the best things come out of mistakes. _

_I love you so much xo_

Adrianna POV

I stared at the letter and read it over a couple of times trying to decide if what my mum wants for me is what Nikolaus does for me but it's hard when we were limited to the gym. He did buy me pizza when I had a crappy day so that is a plus, he always listens to me complain about the boring school issues when I had them and his kisses do make me forget what was bothering me in the first place.

"Oh you're up here?" I looked up and found Nate in the door way

"Yeah why what's going on?"

"Dad's yelling at someone, I was with Matt so I just assumed it was you and mum and dad never fight"

"Then who is dad yelling at?" Nate shrugged but I climbed off my bed and headed downstairs. I found Nikolaus standing there with dad and dad was yelling at Nikolaus.

"You should just leave Anastas" dad had such venom in his voice I was shocked, I honestly thought dad was fine with this relationship or was he putting a front on for me.

"Dad stop, there's no need to be rude" they both turned and looked at me. "What is going on here?"

"He doesn't need to be here Dri"

"Really dad because if for some reason I am pregnant it's his" I had no idea how much dad had worked out or found out about our relationship but I just hoped more than anything this wouldn't backfire on me.

"But hang on, you only graduated...ADRIANNA MEREDITH MONROE! YOU HAD SEX WITH HIM WHEN HE WAS YOUR TEACHER!"

"Dad please calm down"

"No I'm going to kill him" that caused Lissa to laugh at him. "Liss it's not that funny" dad then turned his anger on Lissa

"It is actually, come on he is one of the best Guardians of his age despite not being allowed to be given to a Moroi yet and you well you don't even know how to throw a punch properly"

"Fine, I want to know everything now! I want to know what started it all, who fell for who first, who made the first move, everything Adrianna" I led Nikolaus over to the couch and made sure he sat the furthest he could away from dad.

"Nikolaus fell for me first but didn't act on it, I made the first move, nothing came out until just a couple of days before I was kidnapped"

"That's why you were so concerned, worried and hurt over what happened?" dad looked at him but I didn't hear a response so I'm assuming Nikolaus nodded. "When did you make the first move?"

Crap, I didn't know how to answer this. Dad would really lose it when he finds out what happened. "Well you remember when we were in Melbourne and we were fighting?"

"About you kissing some human?"

"Well no, I kissed him and it may have led to us having sex..."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" I watched as dad stood up and headed towards where the bar was and grabbed a drink.

"Dad we were drunk and did something stupid, I know this but it isn't the issue at hand here"

"So what you've both spent the school year having sex all over the grounds?"

"No, at first we rarely acted on it. It wasn't until after Christmas that things changed and even then it was mostly stolen glances and kisses here and there, we've only had sex the once"

"I can't believe this Dri, you had sex with a teacher and now you're pregnant!"

"I CAN'T BE PREGNANT! We all know dhampirs can't have children together"

"Dri calm down" I turned my head and looked at Nikolaus. I let out a sigh before leaning against him and looking back at dad.

"All year, you two have been like this all year?"

"Well no, as I said before Christmas we weren't doing anything but afterwards things changed but even then dad we only had sex once"

"And now your pregnant Dri, everyone's going to realise it was when you were his student when it gets out"

"Hang on a second here, we're actually going to tell everyone that two dhampirs conceived together?" but dad didn't even say anything to acknowledge Nikolaus' question

"Dad he has a point, so many people want me dead as it is because of what my blood can supposably do. Imagine what will happen when they learn I can have a child with another dhampir"

"Adrian they've both got a point, we can't let this get out" Lissa spoke and the dirty look dad was giving Nikolaus was finally gone.

All the yelling dad had been doing today was what I was expecting yesterday but at least now everything was out in the open.

"Then what Liss, what are we going to do. It's not like we can lock her up in her room for 9 months"

"What if we say it's mine?" everyone stared at James, I almost forgot he was still here.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! For everyone who has been reviewing the last couple of chapters saying Dri is pregnant, congratulations you were correct. Dri is pregnant, any guesses as to what you think the sex will be as well as what they will name it? The person to correctly guess the sex and full name, being first, middle and surname will get a preview of the Epilogue, sorry but only people who have an account will be included since I reply to their reviews any guest reviewers won't have a response made even if they are correct.**

**Also I wanted to congratulate one of my reviewers, Peggy. She was the first person to ever mention something about Dri maybe falling pregnant because of the Spirit in her before I even made mention to the fact that the Spirit in her makes her different. It is a shame that you are a guest reviewer otherwise I would have pm'd you asking a bunch of questions and wondering how you could have guessed that out of nowhere but sadly I had wait the 50 chapters before I could say something.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed both chapters, I thought it would have been too unrealistic if Dri did come first since I hate reading stories where someone comes in too far behind and then all of a sudden comes first always makes me angry.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Adrian did find out and I'm glad you enjoyed how he did, as for the talk between Adrian and Nikolaus well it kind of gets overshadowed at the moment since Dri is pregnant but it will come up eventually. Everyone's placements will be revealed eventually.**

**Guest**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I wonder if this chapter will be the response you expected from Adrian, at first Adrian was fine because he assumed nothing happened while they at the academy but now everything has come out and he is angry because he's been lied to all year. I'm glad my updates make your day.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes you review makes perfect sense but I couldn't exactly say, hey you're right Dri is pregnant can I? As for the check-up, well it was kind of forced on her since she passed out. You will find out everyones placements in due time.**

**Brookletp**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. As you can see Adrian did eventually lose it at Dri and she wasn't able to convince him that nothing happened before graduation because of her being pregnant. I'm glad you finally got yourself an account and actually told me, it also now puts you in the running to get a preview of the epilogue if you correctly the full name of the baby as well as the sex.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes they are all Guardians now, I'm interested to see what everything thinks about their placements and it will come in due time. As for Emily being one James' Guardians, wait and see. Yes Adrian finally found out and he handled it well basically because he saw their auras and knew there wasn't anything he could do to split them up. As you can see Adrian very quickly worked out something happened while they were at the Academy and he wasn't as happy then. I'm sorry you don't actually see the 'cooking lesson' but I'm sure you can picture what would have happened.**


	101. Chapter 101

**Chapter 101**

Adrianna POV

"What if we say it's mine?" everyone stared at James, I couldn't believe he suggested this.

"James that would make it so much easier but there is still a slight problem with that, people will want me and the baby. You're a Spirit user and I'm a dhampir, they will think the baby is like me. I may as well tell them it's Nikolaus' but thank you"

"Then what, it's not like anyone knows about you two" dad looked at me but I turned and looked at Nikolaus, I knew who we could use as long as they agreed to it but would Nikolaus be happy about this, I didn't know.

"Hang on a minute, we're getting too far ahead here Dri. We need to go back to the hospital, have another pregnancy test done and a DNA test to make sure it is Nikolaus'. Just because you say it's his doesn't mean it is or it could have been a false positive" great, they don't even believe me when I say it's his.

"But wouldn't having a pregnancy test and a DNA test let someone else know what we're trying to hide" I questioned Lissa

"I know Dri but we need to know, we need to know the truth" dad replied but I just looked at Nikolaus, I needed to know what he was thinking right now and the fact that he had been awfully quiet wasn't sitting right with me

"Your dad's right Dri, we need to know. We need to know what exactly is going on, maybe you aren't pregnant" Nikolaus spoke, I wanted to turn around and apologise for walking out on him earlier but I was still hurting over the fact that he thought I cheated on him.

Hell could it even be classified as cheating, we had still yet talked about what was going on between us. I had no idea what we were and what I could and couldn't do but it didn't mean I was willing to go around and sleep with whoever I wanted.

"Alright we'll go and have these tests done but there has to be a limit to how many people know about this, I know who I trust and want to know"

"We'll make sure the doctor doesn't tell anyone Dri"

"Thanks dad" I gave dad a smile and we organised a time to go back to the hospital later in the day when Lissa didn't have the twins.

James had left with the intent of going to find the rest of our friends and Nikolaus pulled me out of the living room.

"You honestly believe it's mine?" he finally spoke when we were sitting outside.

"I don't have to believe, I know. I've only had sex with you, it has to be yours. If I'm pregnant"

"I'm sorry I thought you cheated on me Dri" I finally looked over at him

"Its fine, I'm sorry I snapped at you and left. I should have stayed to talk to you" he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close before softly kissing the top of my head.

"You were thinking about Jeremy weren't you?"

"To be the fake father?" I looked up at him and noticed the smile on his face.

"No to be clown at the child's fifth birthday" I shook my head against his chest. "Yes I meant the fake father"

"Yes I was, apart from James he's the only other Moroi that knows. It makes sense and he's been willing to help keep us quiet to protect us and keep me happy, he might do this"

"How about we find out what's going on then we will decide what to do"

I looked up at him. "And if I am pregnant and it is yours?"

"I won't leave you Dri, I'm not going to let you go through with this alone and plus why would I give up the chance to raise my own child?" he looked so happy at the idea of this child being his.

"There's something I need to tell you"

"What is it?" he pulled away from me and I frowned at him.

"I may have heard something about me being able to fall pregnant to another dhampir"

"When?"

"After we already had sex, Clary told me she heard rumours about it but I honestly thought it was rumours since I was fine after Melbourne"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I tried but every time we talked about that you said you grew up knowing you'd never be able to have a family and that was when I asked if you were trying to cover the fact that you didn't want a family with the fact that we couldn't have one"

"Dri you should have told me"

"What difference would it have made? Do you want to know about all the other rumours Clary's heard as well?"

"If I had of known I wouldn't have freaked out in the hospital, I would have stayed. Even when you've been feeling sick the last few days I would have thought maybe that was what was wrong with you"

"I'm sorry alright but when we were first talking about not being able to have a family the look on your face broke my heart. You were upset about it and I didn't want to get your hopes up with this one rumour, we still don't even know if anything is special about me. Maybe there is nothing special about me apart from the gold in my aura"

"Dri it's fine, calm down. I understand, I just wished you had told me" he cupped my face before leaning over to kiss me.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, next time I will" I spoke before leaning into him

"It's fine, now what else did Clary tell you she heard?"

I filled Nikolaus in on all the rumours Clary had heard about how special our blood could be, some of it he was curious about especially how I might make a silver stake affect Strigoi differently.

Now we were sitting in the hospital, we had the pregnancy test redone as well as a DNA test to confirm he was the father but I didn't need it. I knew Nikolaus was the father and I was still hurting that he didn't believe me at first but at least Nikolaus was here now, we need to have these test results before we worked out where to go from here.

I was sitting in the chair and my leg was bouncing up and down with anticipation, I never would have thought I would be this nervous for a stupid pregnancy test.

I watched as Nikolaus placed one of his hands on my knee to stop me, I looked up at him. "Why are you nervous?"

"What if I am pregnant, I'm only 19"

"We'll be fine, we will get through this together. I promise I'm not going anywhere"

"You say that now, you're not even convinced the baby is yours"

"Dri I told you I was sorry about that"

"I know and we need to finish that conversation later" I turned back away from him and continued bouncing my legs again. Why was it taking so long, I swear the DNA test I had when I first met dad didn't take this long.

"Are you still in pain?" even though we were having the pregnancy test redone the doctor was still convinced I was pregnant so he did the DNA test at the same time. He had to stick a needle down my belly button and get to the baby that way, I was in pain afterwards but now it was slightly gone.

"It's not as bad"

"But you're still in pain though"

"Nikolaus, I can assure you I'm fine" he leaned over and placed a hand on my cheek before he pressed his lips against mine.

Someone coughing interrupted us, I pulled away and looked up to find dad glaring at us. I still couldn't believe he wasn't happy with this anymore, maybe it was now he knew the truth I don't know.

"Guardian Ivashkov I have your test results" I stood up and faced the doctor, Nikolaus came and stood beside me and laced his fingers with mine.

"What are they?"

"You are pregnant and please don't ask me to run the test anymore, I honestly don't believe you're going to get a negative result"

"What about the DNA test?"

"Guardian Anastas is the father, I don't know how it's possible but it's a match"

"Thank you, now you know this has to stay between us. No one can know about this, no one needs to know who the father is"

"I understand, have a good day Guardian Ivashkov" the doctor gave us a smile before turning around and heading back to her office. I turned and looked at dad and Lissa.

"Now what?" my voice sounded so broken, Nikolaus put an arm around me.

"I honestly don't know Dri, we still need to work out what makes you different. We now know you can fall pregnant from other dhampirs but anything else we don't know"

I didn't know what to think, dad and Lissa were no help as to what was different about me and now I was pregnant. I was pregnant at 19 and when it comes out that Nikolaus is the father everyone is going to want to run tests on my child. My hands instinctively went to my stomach, Nikolaus came up behind me and placed his hands on mine before softly kissing my head.

"Adrian don't, he really cares about her" I looked up at the sound of Lissa's voice, I had been in my own little world not paying attention to dad. Dad looked furious and he had stepped closer to us.

"Dad what is your problem with this, you had no problem when you caught us kissing"

"He was your teacher"

"And so was Dimitri but him and Rose are fine or is this about what they went through?"

"Dri…"

"I'm right aren't I? You realise we would have to go through what they did or the fact that I'm pregnant?

"Both you both did something so stupid by having sex when you shouldn't have and I also made the connection, Dri it was a nightmare for them"

"And you think I care? That is the least of my problems now"

"Yes and your pregnancy is going to make them realise it happened when you were his student"

"I thought we agreed we weren't telling people it was his for safety reasons"

"Who is going to be the father since James can't?"

"I will work it out but you need to learn to accept him or at least tolerant him better then you currently are. I'm pregnant and it's his, he will be family dad. If you can't do this, I will leave and we will have our own family"

Dad was silent at first, trying to decide if this was all worth it. "Alright I'm sorry Dri, Nikolaus can we start over" I watched as dad held his hand out for Nikolaus to shake. His hand left my stomach and shook dad's. I smiled at both of them, I just hoped this would last.

It was later that day and I was meant to be asleep, in fact I was meant to be asleep curled up beside Nikolaus but I couldn't sleep. I was out pacing in the other room trying to decide if it was the right thing to do, I need to be the one to tell Rose I was pregnant, she couldn't hear it from anyone else.

"Dri what are you doing awake?" I turned around and gave Nikolaus a sheepish smile

"Thought it was obvious that I couldn't sleep"

"What's wrong?" he walked over and wrapped his arms around me.

"I need to tell Rose that I'm pregnant, she knows about us and will think I cheated on you or be mad because I could fall pregnant and she couldn't"

"Can't it wait till morning after you've gotten some rest or are you forgetting that you passed out this morning and then proceeded to find out you were pregnant. Dri you've had a stressful day"

"I won't be able to sleep until I've spoken to her though"

"Dri she's probably asleep"

"I have too, it's the right thing to do"

"Fine, I'm going back to bed then" Nikolaus kissed the top of my head before heading back to his room.

I pulled out my phone and dial Rose. _"Dri what are you doing up?"_

"What are you doing up? I thought I was going to wake you"

_"I'm on Guard duty tonight, why are you ringing me?"_

"I need to talk to you, can I talk to you while you're on shift?"

_"Yeah I'm just working the front gate tonight, is everything alright?"_

"I think so, I'll be there soon" I hung up on Rose and left the suite heading towards the front gates to speak to Rose. I just hoped she wouldn't be mad at me.

"Dri what was so urgent it couldn't wait till morning?" Rose spoke as soon as she spotted me

"There's no easy way to say this but I'm pregnant"

"I'm sorry what did you say?" I could tell she was shocked, I'm just surprised there was no anger

"I'm pregnant"

"You had sex with someone other than Nikolaus" the anger was now coming out once she realised what I actually said.

"That's the thing, it's his…"

"Oh wow, how?"

"Apparently whatever makes me special can also allow this to happen, you know I didn't want this to happen right?"

"I know, I don't believe you would want this at 19"

"Are you mad at me?"

"God no Dri, why would I be mad at you?"

"Because you and Dimitri couldn't have children"

"Dri that doesn't mean I would be mad at you, you didn't know you would fall pregnant. Yes it hurts that you can have children with Nikolaus and I couldn't with Dimitri but there is still so much we don't know about Spirit and you're living proof of it"

"Really?"

"Of course, is that why you wanted to talk? You were worried that I would be mad once I received word you were pregnant?"

"Yes well except we're not telling anyone it's Nikolaus' not until we know if the baby will be special"

"What are you going to do then?"

"I don't know, I need to talk to him about it. We're kind of limited as to who knows about us and will help protect us"

"Then why are you out here talking to me instead of him?"

"Because I couldn't sleep until I told you, I was honestly worried about how you were going to react"

"Let's put it this way, if I heard you were pregnant and Nikolaus wasn't in the picture then I would be mad. You worked so hard to earn your fourth position and you're throwing it away but you love Nikolaus and you wouldn't have known what would happen"

"We didn't know honestly"

"Its fine Dri, you should go back to bed and get sleep. I will talk to you tomorrow and we can help you work everything out"

"Thanks Rose" I gave her smile before heading back to Nikolaus' room.

I climbed into the bed beside him and he was still awake, I curled up beside him and he put his arm around my waist.

"Did you talk to Rose?"

"I did"

"Was she mad?"

"No"

"I could have told you that"

"I was still worried she would be though"

"Are you going to get some sleep now?" I rolled over and grinned at him.

"Can we do something else instead?"

"No, you need some rest first Dri"

"Fine, good night" I leaned up and kissed him before pressing in closer to him

"I love you Dri"

"I love you too" I mumbled a reply before I finally began falling asleep.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! I love how everyone thought James was really sweet for agreeing to do this for Dri but also worried about how it will affect any future relationship between James and Dri. Again I'm curious on everyone's ideas on names for the baby.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you or always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes James is awesome, I love him. If Nikolaus wasn't in the story and it was about Dri alone then I may have paired the two of them together but instead I went with Nikolaus.**

**Guest**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Thank you for theories on the baby name.**

**Druvharshita**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Thank you**

**Brookletp**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes it is out sort of anyway, it would actually cause an uproar. I was originally going to have it out in the open but I changed my mind knowing I could write with Nikolaus' feelings later on.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. A few people knew she was, I just didn't want to confirm it until it was stated in the story. As you can they won't be saying it's James' and Jeremy is there option but not for what you said, for the safety of the baby. If they think it is James' then they will think the baby is like Dri. As for affecting any possible relationship between James and Emily I don't think it would have because Emily will know the truth and will deal with the repercussions to protect the baby. I'm always interested in people's thoughts so never be afraid to voice them.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter as always **

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Take your time on the baby name idea as there is still a few chapters to go until the end of the story which makes me a little sad. James is amazing but as you can see Dri doesn't want him to be the fake father for the safety of the baby and it will help protect the relationship between Dri and Nikolaus if the truth is kept to a small number of people. Adrian used alcohol like that in the books I figured why not when he's older, especially since he would susceptible to the effects of Spirit. I put it across that way to confuse some people but James honestly didn't know what the extra colours were, even if he wasn't drunk he hasn't come across pregnant females so he wouldn't know the difference but more on the pregnancy is in later chapters. I'm glad you liked Lissa's comment about Adrian going to kill Nikolaus. As for Dri's placement, wait and see it will all be revealed shortly.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. First off I want to apologise, either I didn't word it properly or it came across the wrong way but please don't stress you will be able to see the epilogue when it's posted. I only wrote that as I'm curious to what everyone is thinking about the baby's name, the first person to correctly guess will be able to see a preview of the epilogue which will only be a paragraph or two, you are more than welcome to guess on baby names but I won't acknowledge if it's right or wrong, I will most likely just say interesting, wait and see or thank you for your theory. I hope that clears everything up and again I'm sorry for the confusion. As for James being the fake father, as you can see Dri doesn't want it to go that way for the safety of the baby. As for talk, rumours and gossip I don't think it will happen apart from her being stupid and falling pregnant young. A lot of dhampirs fall pregnant and raise the baby without the Moroi parent because it's what expected of them and Moroi/dhampir relationships aren't all that common.**


	102. Chapter 102

**Chapter 102**

Adrianna POV

When I woke up in the morning I had the urge to throw up but Nikolaus had an arm wrapped tightly around my waist. I tried to pull away but all he did was pull me closer.

"Dri stop fidgeting, I was enjoying this" Nikolaus spoke giving me the hint that I had woken him up, I felt bad but I had to go to the bathroom

"Seriously let go" I snapped at him and he pulled his arm back.

I got off the bed and rushed towards the bathroom making it just in time to throw up. When I was finished I walked over to the sink and rinsed my mouth out before lying down on the tiles, they were cool underneath my face.

"Dri unlock the door please" Nikolaus was on the other side of the door, he was also knocking on it. I had locked it on my way in not wanting him to see me like this.

"Don't you have your meeting with Hans today?"

"Yes I do but for that I would need to shower and get dressed but someone has locked the bathroom door" he was teasing me but I could tell he was worried

"Ahh that would be an issue"

"Yes it would be, please open the door Dri"

"No"

"Why not Dri?"

"Because I look and feel horrible"

"Doubtful you're beautiful and I've seen you covered in blood after you've been starved for days and fed off. How could this be worse than that?"

"Just go away"

"No, I told you that I wasn't going to let you go through with this alone. That includes the bad moments when you have morning sickness"

"What about when I get fat?"

"Dri I love you for you, I don't care what you look like"

"I'm sure you'll change your mind when I'm fat" I couldn't help but smile at the sound of him banging his head on the door

"I can assure you I won't, I love you Dri and I want to be with you"

"Then what is this" I sat up and leaned against the shower

"Really you want to have that conversation now when you've locked yourself in the bathroom?"

"Yes, we've been at Court for a couple days and we haven't said anything about it"

"Dri I love you and I would love for you to be my girlfriend but you need to open this door so we can talk" I stood up and walked over to the door and unlocked it.

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do and see you're still beautiful" he gave me a smile as he reached over and brushed my hair out of my face.

"I'm sorry"

"It's fine, we have no idea what we are going through and we don't even know if this pregnancy will be different. This baby is a first Dri"

"I know and I'm scared"

"We will be fine now I really have to shower and head to my meeting with Hans"

"Oh right, I might just get back in bed and get some more sleep" I went to walk away but Nikolaus grabbed my wrist and pulled me back

"I thought maybe you could join me" the grin on his face sent a shiver down my spine. He leaned down to kiss me and he walked backwards towards the shower pulling me with him.

We had finished in the shower and I was sitting on the bed wearing one of his shirts while he was getting dressed for his meeting.

"I have to go now, are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine, you worry too much"

"I have reasons for that, when I get back we can talk about what we're going to do"

"Jeremy's our only option"

"I know this but we still need to talk about it" he leaned over and kissed me. "I love you"

"I love you too" I gave him a smile as he left the suite

I laid down on the bed with the idea of getting some more sleep but someone decided this would be a great time to ring me, it was Emily.

"Hi Emily"

_"Where are you?"_

"Guest housing, why?"

_"Because James is acting weird, can I come over?"_

"How is he acting weird?" I can think of two reasons as to why he was acting weird. He was trying to work out if he should tell Emily what he felt or he was trying to keep my pregnancy a secret.

_"It's hard to explain"_

"Alright fine, I'm in room 316"

_"Hey you know Carter's in room 318"_

"No, what do you mean Carter's in room 318"

_"I mean that's the room he was assigned when we arrived. Why whose room are you in?"_

"I'm in Nikolaus' room, whose room did you think I was in?"

_"I don't know, James, Jeremy, Belle or Lucas"_

"Yes but I said I was in 316"

_"That was when I realised you weren't with them"_

"DRI OPEN THIS DOOR!" my stomach dropped at the sound of Carter's voice.

"I have to go, maybe you should get Stefan and come over here…"

_"What's going on?"_

"Carter's banging on the door"

_"Oh shit, I'll be there soon"_

"DAMN IT DRI OPEN THIS DOOR!" I hung up my phone and climbed off the bed, I was almost at the door when I realised I wasn't wearing any pants. I turned back around and headed back grabbing the pants I was wearing last night.

When I opened the door Carter looked furious and it shocked me, that kid was never mad. He was always calm and took everything in stride.

"Now why did I see you come in here last night and then see Nikolaus leaving this morning?"

"Carter how many hits have you taken to the head, you're seeing things"

"Then whose room is this, I know it's not yours. You, Emily and Stefan didn't get assigned rooms because your parents live here" damn it he had me there, I had no idea what to say

"Fine come in" I stepped aside and allowed him to walk in, he walked straight in and sat down on the couch. I had no idea how to explain this and even once I did how the hell do I even begin to explain I was pregnant.

"Whose room is this Dri?"

"Fine, it's Nikolaus'"

"What are you doing in here, he was your teacher Dri!"

"I know this Carter"

"Oh god don't tell me all those times Stefan and Jeremy made jokes at your expense because of him are true"

"They are but please don't freak out"

"Dri he was your teacher!"

"I know this Carter it's not like I planned it. It's not like I said to myself, hey I would love to have sex with him"

"Oh come all the girls did, this is different otherwise you would have left with him this morning"

"I don't know what to tell you Carter" it was then that the door opened, it was Emily and Stefan. I just wish they had gotten here earlier.

I looked at Carter as he kept looking between the three of us. "And those two know where you are because?"

"Because I was on the phone to Emily when you were banging on the door"

"Seriously someone needs to tell me what is going on now!"

"Carter what do you think is going on?" I spoke as Emily and Stefan walked over and sat down with us, I just hoped this didn't backfire on us.

"I don't think I want to know what is going on, Dri we only graduated a couple of days ago and now I find out you two spent the night together"

"Carter think rationally, you know Dri. She wasn't one to sleep around like we did" I was glad Emily spoke because I had no idea what to say

"Em are you trying to say we were sluts" Stefan pulled a face at Emily but all she did was smile for a second before speaking.

"Yes I am Stefan" Emily smirked at him and he glared at her. Jeremy was really the only one that got called a slut and it usually came from me, Stefan and Emily were kept out of that joke.

"So what you and Nikolaus are dating?" Carter ignored the other two who were knowing glaring and smiling at each other and looked back at me

"Depends how you define dating, he only used the words girlfriend for the first time this morning"

"Wait what?" Emily's head snapped around in my direction with a massive smile on her face. She had me complain in the past that I had no idea what was going on between us and I wanted it to be defined but yet no such luck until this morning.

"This isn't the time for that Emily." Emily frowned at Carter's comment but let it go, I knew she would question me later once the boys were gone. "How long have this being gone Dri"

"Carter…"

"While he was our teacher?" I could tell he was getting angrier and I didn't like it

"Fine, yes I fell for him when he was our teacher but nothing really happened. It was rare kisses, it was mostly glances and flirting comments back and forth"

"Have you two had sex and last night doesn't count"

"We didn't have sex last night"

"Stop dodging the questions Dri"

"Yes we've had sex twice, once in Melbourne which is what started everything and then once again a few weeks ago"

"Dri he was our teacher!"

"I know this! Carter you don't think I wanted to fall in love with a teacher!"

As soon as I said I was in love with Nikolaus Carter's face changed, it softened. "Wait you love him?"

"Yes I do, it's the only reason everyone else has helped protect us. He loves me as well"

"How can you trust him, what if he's trying to take advantage of you?"

"Seriously Carter? He was there for me through everything! Do you remember when Michael Voda turned up and I was all of a sudden panicked all the time and then all of a sudden he disappeared? Yeah well he happened to be one of my foster parents when I was younger, he raped and beat me up Carter! Nikolaus was the first person I trusted about that even before Michael turned up, he was there for me when I needed someone. Remember when I came back from that shopping trip and I was in the hospital? Yeah well someone got the jump on me but Nikolaus saved me. Even when I was kidnapped and Michael Voda was the one behind it, Nikolaus was the one that found me. He made me feel safe, he helped me through everything after I came back. I was freaking out about small things and my training even went backwards but he helped me get through it!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. I know you've been through a lot and I didn't want him to take advantage of you. All of our families are small and I consider you all family but still how do you trust him when he says he loves you" Carter got up and walked over to where I was sitting and he hugged me.

"James"

"Ah that kid knows everything, what does everyone else know?"

"We have no clue, we're kind of taking it step by step" I needed to tell them about my pregnancy but I needed to talk to Nikolaus about it all first.

"You should have told me from the beginning Dri, I would have helped you. I know we aren't anywhere as near as close as you are with Stefan and Emily but we are close"

"I know and I'm sorry, we just thought the less people that easier for us"

Carter didn't even get the chance to reply as we heard someone at the door. Nikolaus was back from his meeting, I had no idea what his mood was going to be like. It all depended on how the meeting went, if it went badly him finding out that Carter now knows would be a disaster

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! I'm enjoying everyone's theories on what the baby's name will be please keep them coming. Also I forgot to mention on the last chapter, I posted a new story it will be covered over two chapters but it's how Dri's life would have been affected had Nikolaus not come back from Greece after his mother's funeral.**

**Brookletp**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. It's why I put in that scene between Rose and Dri, she spent the last few years filling the void of the dhampir child they never got and she was worried they would be upset about her falling pregnant. As for the fake father, it is still to be covered so don't worry.**

**Dhruvharshita**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are enjoying my story, I like to hear it. As for what Nikolaus thinks it will be covered in the next chapter, I'm glad you thought James was sweet for offering to do that for them. I can understand that but because my focus is on Dri being different I couldn't just make it possible for Rose to fall pregnant otherwise this story wouldn't be the same and Dri's pregnancy wouldn't be a shock.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Thank you for ideas on the name, they interesting. I'm already sad about the story because I've finished writing it but I have some ideas floating around in my head about an alternate version of this where Dri grew up in Adrian's care but I want to have enough ideas before I even consider posting it since I don't want it to be the same.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Thank you for saying my chapter was amazing, I always love to hear things like that. It's why I let the chapter end with James' offer, I wanted to see everyone's reaction to it and then throw in why it won't work. As for Jeremy it will be the next chapter as well as his reaction. I'm glad you liked how Dri was worried about Rose's reaction to the pregnancy, I thought it would be the right thing to do. It's funny that I actually had this idea since before I read Ruby Circle but I still have my concerns with that happened during the book but I will leave it out of the review in case someone hasn't read the book, message me if you want to hear my theories. I have come across other fanfictions about Rose and Dimitri being able to have children and most of them use the fact that she was bonded with Lissa or Dimitri was a Strigoi beforehand. I'm glad you think I've put this all together really well.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved it**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are enjoying my story, as for why Dri doesn't say she got drunk at a party and doesn't remember. It is briefly covered in a future chapter but not in the idea of the public but to me I would find it more embarrassing to fall pregnant and not know who the fall is then have a one night stand with a friend and fall pregnant that way hence why I'm using this route but remember in their world the Moroi parent rarely sticks around to help raise the child anyway.**

**Moulinness**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. That's fine, I've had it happen to me before. Yes I have passed the 100 chapter mark and I'm incredibly excited that it got this far. Jeremy's reaction is revealed in the next chapter. Nikolaus' brother's name is Kostas just for your information and it is an interesting theory.**

**Hannah**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are enjoying it.**


	103. Chapter 103

**Chapter 103**

Adrianna POV

I quickly got off the couch and moved to the door to stop Nikolaus before he noticed Carter on the couch, I needed to warn him about what happened.

"Hey…" I spoke as soon as the door was open

"Hi, what are you doing up? I thought you were going to rest? Isn't that what Adrian and Queen Vasilisa wanted you to do?"

"One yes, two you should really get used to calling her Lissa like she said to you yesterday and three I don't know how to put this but someone saw me come in here last night and then you leaving this morning"

"Who?" I gave him a small smile, he actually looked scared as to who found out now. For months he had been worried about how dad was going to react and it was good to begin with and then badly but now, I don't know who he was thinking.

"Come on" I grabbed his hand and led him back towards the living room. When we were in there and he spotted Carter sitting on the couch, I could feel him stop and let go of my hand.

"Guardian Emerson"

"Cut the crap Nikolaus I know the truth" Carter spat out and I was a little worried with how this was going to go.

"I had to tell him, he was banging on the door practically within minutes of you leaving" I looked up at Nikolaus and gave him a small smile.

"So what now then Dri?" Nikolaus moved back in beside me and grabbed my hand

"I don't know, we were talking when you came back"

"Have you?

I shook my head at him "No, you said you wanted to talk first"

"I do and we will" I looked over at my friends and I could tell they were confused but they will find out the truth soon enough.

It didn't take long for Emily, Stefan and Carter to leave, Carter said his peace with Nikolaus but promised he wouldn't tell anyone what he knew. Once they were gone Nikolaus turned and faced me on the couch.

"How was the meeting?"

"Rose and Dimitri crashed it"

"What why?"

"Well they said we should tell Hans the truth"

"About what?"

"Your pregnancy and our relationship"

"What why?"

"They said we could trust him, it also means Alberta will find out eventually but he understood and he won't tell anyone about how the baby is mine"

"But what does that mean?"

"It means I'm staying at Court"

"Wait, you're actually staying here with me at Court? We can actually have a life together" the smile on my face was huge at idea of us having an actual life together

"Dri someone's actually requested you as their Guardian" and just like that it was gone and I couldn't believe this…

"Do you know who?"

"I do"

"Who?"

"James did, along with Emily. He asked that Emily be the main Guardian, which is weird I would have thought Stefan"

"James likes Emily that's why, but I'm pregnant and this means we won't get to be together" I couldn't believe how easily my eyes teared up, I was blaming the hormones.

"Rose said he's planning on staying at Court for the next year or so to work with Lissa and Adrian. Adrian's not needed at St Vladimir's unless a freshmen specialises in Spirit and if that's the case he will return"

"But…"

"Dri do you understand what that means?"

"No…I'm still worried about how I might not get to be with you" he shook his head before he leaned over to kiss me

"You're what 6 or 7 weeks pregnant and your already hormonal, I'm going to be in a lot of trouble come the 8 month mark aren't I?"

"Most likely now what does it mean?"

"Dri it means you will see James and Emily regularly, you will be partnered with Emily once the pregnancy is over"

"But what about you? Wait how do you know this?"

"Rose being Lissa's Guardian got to see who the Moroi pick, the Moroi put in their preferences and it gets handed to the Queen. She decides if they're allowed before being handed to the Guardians"

"What about Stefan and Carter?"

"I don't know about them. Rose just told me that James asked for you"

"Oh, well I suppose that would be alright. At least he knows about us and that you're the father"

"Dri are you alright?"

"I think I just had it in my head that if we were both placed at Court it will be easier for us"

"I know but James is planning on staying here to work with Lissa and Adrian, he is going to College but not just yet and plus if he goes it will be close to here. Both you and Emily will go with him and then be back here at night"

"But what about the baby, who will look after the baby if we both have to work?"

"Dri calm down, we will work it out and plus you have enough family here at Court that will help us" he leaned over and kissed my head before wrapping his arms around me. I took the comfort he was giving me, I pressed my face into his chest.

"Do you really want Jeremy to be the fake father?" I looked up at him once he spoke, I knew Nikolaus still had concerns about Jeremy and I didn't know why but we both knew that Jeremy was the only option.

"We both know it's the easier option, I know James offered but he's a Spirit user. Everyone will believe the baby will be special like me, we want them to believe the baby will be normal. That leaves Jeremy and you know that"

"What about if you just you don't know who the father is?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, "don't you remember what happened to, god what was her name. Zara Hastings I think? She fell pregnant and couldn't tell anyone who the father was since she was drunk. Everyone was talking about her behind her back, I don't want that. Yes I understand most of the time dhampirs don't know who their Moroi parent is but this is different, everyone knows who I am and everyone will ask. I would rather tell them it's Jeremy if he agrees then that I don't know" I frowned at him

"Alright, if it's what you want I will go along with it" I could he wasn't happy but I didn't want else to do to make him happy about this whole thing.

"It is and Jeremy is our only option, only him and James know and we both know why we can use James"

"I know, it's just"

"It's Jeremy?"

"Exactly"

"You can't honestly tell me that you are jealous of Jeremy now?"

"Dri" I pulled away from him and sat up

"You can't honestly be worried about him, I'm pregnant and the baby is yours. How much more do you need to not be worried about Jeremy anymore?"

"Well there is one thing but it doesn't matter"

"What is it?"

"Dri it doesn't matter, I don't want to freak you out"

"What is it?" I narrowed my eyes at him, I hated that he was keeping this from me. Why wouldn't he tell me and how could it freak me out?

"Marriage but this isn't me asking you, at all"

I stared at him having no idea what to say at first. "Marriage, oh wow…umm" I stood up from the couch and paced in the room. Nikolaus sat there quietly on the couch watching me, wondering if I was going to snap at him or break down crying.

"Dri…" I stopped pacing and turned to look at him, he looked worried. "I'm sorry alright but remember I'm five years older than you, I have thought about marriage but I know you're young. You're only 19, I'm not going to do something you aren't ready for"

"And what you think I'm ready for this baby?"

"No but we have a little over 7 months to prepare for it" he stood up and walked over to me. He placed a hand on my stomach before kissing my forehead.

"But first we have to ask Jeremy"

"I know and I'm assuming you want to tell the rest of your friends the truth?"

"I do, they've helped this far why not with this as well and plus I don't think they'll be able to believe I had sex with Jeremy since I love you"

"Very well, maybe you should ask them all to come back here tonight"

"And you can cook the Greek food you've been say you will cook for me?" I grinned at him, ever since that first date where he said he can cook I have been bugging him to cook me some actual Greek food.

"And if you and your friends don't like it?"

"We'll order pizza"

"That's your answer to everything"

"But it's pizza" I flashed a smile at him and I couldn't help but be thrilled at the sight of him caving to my request.

"Alright fine, your friends can come over for dinner and we can tell them everything as well as ask Jeremy to be the fake father"

"And if we don't like the Greek food we can order pizza?" I still had the smile on my face hoping he would agree.

"Anything you want Dri" I couldn't help but keep smiling as he leaned over and kissed me.

As much as I love the flirty comments that would go back and forth between us I have and probably will always love the sweet and caring side that Nikolaus has that only ever came out when it was just the two of us.

"What are you cooking again?" I was sitting on the kitchen counter watching Nikolaus cook, I honestly couldn't believe that on top of everything else that was amazing about him he could actually cook.

"It's called Pastitsio and I've baked Baklava again for dessert"

"Ooo yum can we just have the Baklava for dinner?"

"No way, I agreed to ordering pizza if none of you like the Pastitsio"

"What is it?"

"It has pasta, a meat filling and a cream sauce. It's all layered before being placed in the oven to bake"

"That sounds like a weird combination"

"Trust me, I said that you would love the Baklava and you did. I'm sure you will like this as well" there was a knock on the door and we both looked towards the door.

"I'll get the door" I leaned over kissed his cheek before jumping over the counter.

"You know you're going to have to slow down eventually"

"I know but until I'm going to live it up"

"Just get the door Dri" he shook his head at me but I saw the smile on his face and I knew he wasn't exactly mad.

"I'll run for the door" I stuck my tongue out at him before heading towards the door, I didn't actually run because I was worried as much as he was about how different this pregnancy will be.

I opened the door and found that they had all arrived at once, we were a little worried about inviting Carter back here but we decided that if he was okay with the knowledge of the relationship and that it started while he was my teacher then maybe he could help us with the pregnancy.

"Come on, come in" I stood aside with the door held opened and they walked in, I know Jeremy was a little confused. He didn't know Nikolaus was here until I asked him to come here.

Everyone else headed towards the living room but James stayed behind, "You feeling alright Dri?"

"I am now, I wasn't earlier this morning"

"It'll be fine and we will all be here for you no matter what"

"Thanks James" I gave him a small smile as we headed towards the living room to join the rest of my friends.

"So Dri why are we all here?" I looked at Jeremy, I knew I was the one that asked them all here but having them here now I was freaking out. I didn't even know how to begin to explain what was going on.

"Dri I could do with a drink?" I gave James a grateful smile before turning to look at everyone else.

"Yes of course, anyone else?" they all nodded and I headed into the kitchen.

It was obvious Nikolaus had finished cooking since he was cleaning up but he had yet to come out, I walked over to the fridge and pulled out some drinks and placed on the counter. Nikolaus came up behind me and put his arms around me.

"Everything alright?"

"Jeremy asked what they were doing here and I panicked"

"We don't have to tell them, we could just stick with James"

"No for multiple reasons it has to be Jeremy"

"I know, you should go back out there"

"You're not coming with me?"

"They're your friends"

"And you're my boyfriend that means you have to get along with my friends or I will give you the same speech I gave dad"

"Alright fine" he kissed my temple before grabbing some of the drinks and following me out.

Dinner went by easy enough and Nikolaus had escaped to the kitchen to dish up dessert leaving me alone with my friends.

"Seriously Dri what are we all doing here, I didn't even know Carter knew the truth about you both" I was wondering when Jeremy was going to question Carter being here, I was shocked he lasted this long.

"He didn't till this morning, he saw me coming in here last night and then Nikolaus leaving this morning. I had no choice but to tell him and there is a reason why I asked you here, there is something we have to tell you"

"What is it?"

"How about I go give him a hand with dessert and then we can talk about it over dessert" I got up from the table and headed towards the kitchen.

Nikolaus was just standing there not doing anything, dessert had been dished out and was sitting on the plates but he wasn't moving, I was worried.

"What's wrong?"

"The same realisation you had earlier, we have to tell them"

"It will be fine, they accepted our relationship and plus James is here. He already knows, he can help us" I walked over to him and put my arms around him and he returned the favour.

"We should go back out, you grab some of the plates" I did as he requested and grabbed some of the plates to help carry them out to the dining table.

Nikolaus was right when he said I would have enjoyed what he cooked for dinner and I did but I was looking forward to dessert more, I loved it when I first tried it and I was eagerly waiting for more. Everyone else agreed that dinner was amazing and by the look on their face when they had their first bite of the Baklava they loved that as well.

"Dri I think it's time" I looked over at James, he knew I couldn't keep putting it off dessert was finished but no one had questioned why I asked them here again.

"So there is a reason why I asked you all over here for dinner and there is no easy way to say this and I know you won't believe but here goes…I'm pregnant" I watched as my friends looked incredibly confused.

Emily stared at me while Jeremy stared at James, Carter and Stefan stared at Jeremy. They were all trying to work out who I had sex with, I knew it was going to go down this way since technically dhampirs couldn't have children together but I was different and I was telling my friends what would now be my biggest secret.

"Who?" they eventually all spoke and they all said the same thing.

"Nikolaus"

"Bullshit" came from all of them

"It's not, I'm apparently that different that I'm able to fall pregnant by having sex with another dhampir. We had a DNA test done to confirm that Nikolaus is the father"

"But how?"

"The Spirit that I got from dad, it's in my blood. The Spirit makes my blood different, it's different enough that I can fall pregnant"

"But Dri you were fine after what happened in Melbourne" Emily spoke

"We just got lucky, I'm not lucky this time"

"Why are you telling us?"

"Because we've trusted you all with the information about our relationship and we both need a favour"

"What's the favour?" Emily didn't seem to have a problem hearing this information but as soon as I said favour the boys looked a little sceptical

"When it eventually gets out that I'm pregnant everyone will want to know who the father is, if I tell them it's Nikolaus not only will we have to deal with the fall out of the truth of our relationship coming into the light of day there will also be the people who will want the baby, to run test, kill it or who knows what. To help protect the baby we want someone to be the fake father"

"Which means it's either James or Jeremy?" Stefan was the first one to speak

"Exactly Stefan but we've decided against James for the same reason, people will think that baby will be special like me. They will want my baby still, it won't keep it protected. The only way our baby will be protected is if Jeremy does us the favour, everyone will assume the baby is normal" I looked over at Jeremy, he was obviously trying to process everything in his head, to try and work out what this meant.

"If I say yes what will be expected of me?"

"Absolutely nothing, just like a normal dhampir/Moroi relationship where a child is conceived. We just want the public to think the father is a Moroi that has nothing special about him"

"God my mum will kill me if I agree to this and she finds out" Jeremy placed his head in his hands

"You can tell your parents the truth if it's what you want but Jer, no one can know who the actual father is. You can tell them whatever you want to make them believe you but they can't know it's Nikolaus'"

No one said anything, no one knew what to say. Nikolaus and I were waiting to see what Jeremy said while everyone else was curious about what it would mean for the baby and I could tell. I know James was curious because of the Spirit aspect but Emily, Stefan and Carter well they were all dhampirs, they must have thought if I was the key to change the no dhampir/dhampir children.

"I'll do it, because I don't want anyone else to go through what Dri had to with Michael" Jeremy finally spoke and I was instantly grateful, after everything I was worried he wouldn't agree to it.

"Seriously?" Nikolaus finally spoke, he had been quiet while I explained everything. We had agreed earlier that I would be the one to speak.

"Yes, it won't be the child's fault that it's different and special and that there will be people out there wanting it for whatever reason. Dri's practically family, I want to protect her"

"That means a lot Jer…damn it" I couldn't help it, my tears welled up and I was once again blaming the hormones.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! Please keep the baby names coming, I'm enjoying seeing everyone's ideas and some of them are very creative. And there you have, James has requested both Emily and Dri to be his Guardians how do you all think this will play out?**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Most people didn't think about the implications with James, hence why I left it where I did and you have now seen Jeremy's reaction. I believe it would be scary having a baby at 19 and one as special as Dri's would be even worse, of Nikolaus will stand by her he's just that perfect not really but in all honesty his reason was he loved her and why would he give up the opportunity to raise his own child. I'm glad you liked Rose's reaction, I never planned on her being jealous just happy for her. I'm glad you are loving it, you will see more of them together as the chapters go on.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad I could answer your question and it make sense, I know I said it wouldn't be covered but your review actually gave me the idea of putting it in just in case someone else has the same idea. As you can see in this James requested Dri but not Nikolaus so they may be spilt up.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and yes Carter finally found out, I expected him to at some point.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me.**

**Guest**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. That is completely fine if you can't think of any other names, there is still a few chapters left so maybe something will come up in the future. The placements will be announced in a couple of chapters.**

**Brookletp**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Nikolaus' meeting did go well as you can see but Dri freaked at first not knowing what it meant.**


	104. Chapter 104

**Chapter 104**

Adrianna POV

Nikolaus and I were so grateful towards Jeremy for agreeing to be the fake father, in the end he told his parents that the child wasn't his but he was doing me a favour by agreeing to be the father so I didn't have to tell everyone that I got drunk at a party and have the shame of not knowing who the father is, he also told them why I didn't want James to be the fake father and that was easy enough considering how fast the story had spread about me and my special blood thanks to Spirit.

It has been a week since I found out I was pregnant and it was finally time for us all to receive our placements for our Guardian careers since now all the seniors from the various academies had finally arrived at Court.

This was the one ritual that I had no idea what to expect, I had no idea how it was done, no one would tell me. We were standing in one of the main Moroi buildings, it was big enough that all the new Guardians could fit with ease. I was shocked to see that not a single Moroi was amongst us, it made me wonder how this was done.

It was when they were calling out random names that we discovered how it was done, well sort of. There was no order to the names and we weren't finding out their placements. Hans was handing over a large envelope which is what I'm assuming held their future, I could see the appeal to this. If I was being placed at Court because of bad grades I wouldn't want a bunch of strangers to know.

I was the first of my friends to be called up, I walked over to Hans and collected the envelope. Our instructions were to leave as soon as we received our placements and wait for further instructions. I walked outside and off to the courtyard near the building where I opened up the envelope, I was curious as to where I would be placed. It didn't matter if James requested me, it was all up to the Guardian council.

_Guardian Ivashkov_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been given a Moroi charge, Lord James Lazar. It is an honour to have a royal charge._

_Your guarding partner will be Guardian Emily Ayles. While Lord Lazar is staying at Court you will be rostered into the Court Guardian's responsibilities since you are Lord Lazar's second Guardian._

_Guardian Croft_

I stared at the letter, I couldn't honestly believe I got placed with James. I honestly believed I would be stationed at Court and with Nikolaus so we could be a family. I needed to talk to James, I needed to know why he requested me.

I got up from the bench and headed to where James was staying, I had no idea if he would be there or if he would be elsewhere. Maybe the Moroi were finding out who their Guardians were while the Guardians found out their placements.

I knocked on the door and was shocked when Millie opened the door, I haven't seen her in almost a year. I knew she was James' best friend and I had Emily and Stefan but James was always there when I needed him and right now I needed him.

"Is James here?"

"Yes of course, come in" Millie moved aside and I walked in to find James on the couch yelling at the T.V, I couldn't help but laugh at him, he was playing a video game that I had seen Matt and Nate play before and he was obviously losing, badly.

"James I need to talk to you"

"What about?" he didn't even looked away from the T.V, he just kept playing his game

"Guardian assignments" me saying this got James' attention, he paused the game and finally looked at me.

"I'll just go, James I'll see you later" Millie gave us both smiles before leaving and when I heard the door shut I looked at James.

"Why did you request me?" I spoke as I walked over and sat down next to him

"Because I know you Dri, you wouldn't want to be stuck at Court. If you're my Guardian then we can leave Court and have some sort of life or even get fresh air. I know you were worried about losing your friends, this way you won't lose me or Emily"

"What about Nikolaus then? If I'm not at Court then I won't have him"

"Dri I won't be living away from Court, for the time being I will be here working with your dad and Lissa about Spirit. There is so much we need to learn and we need to work it out soon so we can work out what will be special about your baby, what will be different about this pregnancy and if anyone else will want to come after you. It's only if I decide to leave Court that you will come with us, like for example when I go to college. Didn't you say you wanted to go and do further study, this way you can do it with me. Both you and Emily will have to enrol in the same classes as me"

"Fine what about Stefan and Carter?"

"I honestly don't know, I have no idea who Jeremy, Belle or Lucas requested but Millie did request Stefan"

I stared at him shock, I had no idea if I should believe this or if he was messing with me. "What why?"

"Didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

"Well even though Stefan may have been sleeping around all year he has also been messaging Millie, apparently there is something about her that he likes and vice versus"

I couldn't believe Stefan had kept this from us, I knew if he had told Emily she would have told me. it made me wonder if Stefan had told James or if Millie had told him. "Seriously?"

"Yes but I have no idea what Millie wants from him, she knows what he's like"

"So if Stefan gets paired with Millie I will still see him because Millie's your best friend?"

"Yes but she won't be living at Court, she's going away for College"

"It's better than nothing" I shrugged

"We'll be fine Dri, you will still be able to contact them if needed. You won't lose your friends"

"Okay so all of this aside, what about my pregnancy?"

"You will go maternity leave like everyone else and because I won't be leaving Court for a while you won't be replaced and even if you were I wouldn't make it permanent. Dri you're an amazing Guardian and I did this so you would be happy with your friends I knew you would still protect me either way. If I didn't feel anything towards Emily then maybe I would have considered requesting Nikolaus but then I thought against that. I didn't want to force both of you to choose between me and the other if it came to it, this way you won't have to do that. You can still be together and not have to worry about your charge"

"But what if I lose him anyway, I know if he said he's being placed at Court but what if they change their minds, what if he gets placed with a Moroi, a Moroi that leaves Court? What if something happens in the future?"

"Dri are you just forgetting what I told you? I said you won't lose Emily or myself, we are both still here for you. If for some reason Nikolaus has to leave and can't be here for the baby then we will be, your dad will be, Ellie will be, hell I'm pretty sure Rose and Dimitri will be because this baby will be something they couldn't have, they will do everything in their power to make sure no one hurts it"

"God I'm already hating these hormones, I cry way too easily now" I wiped my tears away before laughing at James.

"Then I honestly hope Nikolaus doesn't leave, he can deal with your moods"

"And we were having such a nice moment there" I smirked at him and he grinned

"Dri I promise you everything will be fine, we won't lose our friends" I hugged him and in that moment I was grateful for what he did, he gave me a future that I wanted.

After I left James' I headed up to Nikolaus' suite hoping he was still in there, I didn't know what he had planned for today. I knew he missed being out in the field fighting Strigoi but I think that was more he was getting revenge for his brother and even now having lost both his brother and mother to Strigoi he wanted to be out there even more but I just hoped I got to keep him, I didn't want to risk losing him for some vengeance scheme he had against the Strigoi.

I entered the suite and found it empty, he must have been elsewhere. I pulled my phone out and saw I had a message from him.

_In meetings for most of the afternoon, I will talk to you later. I love you xo_

Not knowing when he was going to come home, I headed towards the bedroom with the idea of getting some more rest. I had convinced Nikolaus this morning that sparring was a good idea but I was exhausted after that and haven't had the chance to get some rest since.

I was eventually woken up by a door slamming followed by some yelling, I had no idea what was going on. I didn't understand what was being yelled, I'm assuming it was Greek unless Nikolaus knew another language that I didn't know about. I climbed off the bed and headed out looking for Nikolaus.

"KASS!" there was finally a word I understood and it was name, I had no idea what was going on. I eventually found Nikolaus standing in the kitchen with someone else, a female to be exact and my god was she stunningly beautiful.

"What's going on?" I spoke and they both turned around startled at seeing me there.

The female said something else in what I assumed was Greek, I looked over at Nikolaus and he looked frustrated. I watched as he let out a sigh before walking over and putting an arm around me.

"Yes Kass this is Dri and before you start again she doesn't understand a single word of Greek"

"Not true Nikolaus" I pulled a face at him but all he did was smile at me knowing exactly what two words it was that I knew

"Right I'm sorry the two you do know you can't pronounce right half the time" I pulled another face at him

"Ignore him Dri, he's annoyed at me. I'm Kass, I'm one of his cousins" I looked over at her and gave her a smile internally thankful that the two of them were related.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm glad to be able to meet some of his family"

"Yes well our little Nicky here wouldn't even tell us anything about you to begin with"

"Nicky huh?" I looked up at Nikolaus and noticed he was glaring at Kass, I couldn't help but smile at him

"Kass why are you here?" Nikolaus ignored me and continued to look at Kass, I honestly wondered what they were arguing about.

"You know why I am Nicky, we spoke about this"

"You're actually going through with it, you're getting placed with a Moroi?"

"I am, no idea who"

"And what about Lycus?"

"He starts at the Academy this year, and mum said she will take him during the holidays. She understands why I need to do this"

I was able to follow most of the conversation up until then, I knew all of Nikolaus' family were females and they stayed at home but I didn't know who Lycus was. "Who is Lycus?"

"My son, Nicky how much does she know?"

"About our family, nothing other than mum and Kostas" I couldn't help but frown at him as the hurt and anger flashed through his eyes, I hated that he blamed himself for their deaths.

"Do you trust her?"

"With everything"

Kass turned and looked at me for a moment, I wondered what she was planning. "Dri I was drugged and abused by some Moroi a few years back and Lycus was the result of it. I couldn't get rid of the baby and I certainly don't regret keeping Lycus, I love my son but I hate that I never got the chance to be a Guardian. The rest of our cousins are older, Lys is 8 years older than me and she's the youngest besides Nicky and I" I was shocked, it made me wonder why Nikolaus was so understanding about what I went through with Michael but maybe it was because Kass went through something similar.

"I'm really sorry Kass"

"Its fine, I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you've been through"

"You told her?" I looked up at Nikolaus in shock

"You tell Stefan and Emily everything and I tell Kass everything"

"You tell her everything?"

"Well no not that"

"What are you keeping from me Nicky?" Kass looked shocked and I grinned at Nikolaus

"Nothing Kass"

"Oh really, should I tell Dri here who was top of our class?"

"You wouldn't Kass" I couldn't help but smile at Nikolaus, he was getting annoyed with her and it was cute watching it.

"Oh dear Nicky, maybe I should tell Dri. Maybe she would be thrilled to know why I'm so easily accepted back after so long out of the field"

"Ooo please tell me" I pulled away from Nikolaus and stepped closer to Kass hoping she will tell me whatever I wanted to know

"Dri don't start, you don't need to know this" Nikolaus growled but he wasn't looking at me, he was glaring at Kass meaning he wasn't annoyed with me, just her.

"Then tell me what I don't know Nicky" I was loving how this whole time Nikolaus was annoyed but yet Kass found it entertaining and her grin hadn't dropped yet.

"No Kass"

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two them arguing but it when they went back to Greek I frowned.

"So Dri, Nicky here wasn't the top of his class. He was beat out of it by me with my near perfect score"

"Damn it Kass!" Nikolaus yelled but all I did was smile before wrapping my arm around him and rubbing soothing circles against him, he couldn't be that angry about this

"You had a near perfect score?"

"Yeah my academic scores were high and so were my Guardian classes, I stuffed up during the final trials"

"Did he tell you about my trials?"

"The rocks?"

"Yes" I shot Nikolaus a look before looking back at Kass

"Yes I heard about that, I have to say that was cruel"

"I honestly thought I was going to hurt him"

"That's the only reason you got one over me Dri, you shocked me by saying sorry" Nikolaus was different around Kass, it was almost a different side to him. He fights with her like how I fight with Matt and Nate.

I looked up at Nikolaus and gave him a smile, he noticed me looking at him. He gave me a smile back before pulling me closer.

"Aw you two look so cute" Kass cooed and I blushed before pressing my face into Nikolaus' chest.

"Don't you have your meeting now?"

"No but you could just ask me to leave Nicky"

"Fine please leave"

"Don't be rude" I looked up at him shocked, I didn't actually think he would be like that with his family but I could see the amusement in his eyes.

"No it's fine, Dri it was nice to finally meet you and it was good to see you Nicky" Kass gave us both a smile before leaving the suite

I walked over and curled up on the couch and Nikolaus followed shortly shifting me so I was leaning against him and he wrapped his arms around me.

"How did your placement go?"

"I was placed with James along with Emily, I haven't spoken to the rest of my friends yet though. We're meeting up tomorrow for lunch in James' apartment and we're going to talk about it all then"

"I'm glad you won't be losing two of your friends though"

"I might not lose Stefan either, James said Millie requested Stefan"

"Who's Millie?"

"James' best friend from his old school and she also happens to be Jeremy's cousin"

"So it's just Carter you might lose"

"Yeah, it just depends who he gets. A lot of royals might request him because of how well he did, I'm just hoping it's a royal who spends a lot of time at Court"

"I'm sure things will be fine Dri"

"I'm sure they will be Nicky" I looked up and grinned at him and he actually looked shocked

"Please don't start that nick name I hate it"

"Oh come on that's not fair"

"How is it not fair?"

"You call me Dri"

"You're honestly having a problem with me calling you by your nickname but you aren't with me?"

"I am Nicky"

"Nope no Nicky"

"Please"

"No"

"Please"

"No"

"Please" I pouted at him but all he did was shake his head

"No, you've always called me Nikolaus and haven't had a problem with it"

"I didn't think about it"

"How about this, you can call me Nik but please no Nicky"

"Aw but Nicky is so cute" he frowned at me and I couldn't help but laugh.

"It's only because I'm the youngest, please Dri no Nicky"

"Fine, I can deal with that but for now I'm going back to sleep"

"You were asleep before we came in weren't you?"

"I was"

"I'm sorry"

"It's fine" I gave him a smile before leaning up to give him a kiss, I pulled away and rested my head against his chest with the idea of falling asleep listening to his heartbeat. Ever since arriving at Court it was my favourite way to fall asleep

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It's fine, I didn't want to point it out just in case you had mistaken him for someone else or if you were embarrassed so I just left it and hoped the chapter would straighten you out. No James does not plan on running away with Emily and Dri, he did for Dri since he knew what she wanted and this was how to give it to her. It's fine with the rant, I understand what it can be like sometimes when you are a little sleep deprived since sometimes I worry that my review replies are like that.**

**Amorsagirl**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you think it's getting better and better and thank you for your theory on the baby's name.**

**Brookletp**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I never planned on Jeremy being an active father, just him doing them a favour.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you think Nikolaus is sweet, of he does they were pretty much in a relationship but had not one spoken about what it was and now they have. Of course people are going to question their relationship but wait and see what happens. Having Rose and Dimitri crash the meeting guaranteed Nikolaus' placement at Court because of the truth otherwise he would have ended up somewhere else to guard the property. Dri's family will do anything to protect the baby, especially Rose and Dimitri while Adrian, Lissa and James are curious because it's do with Spirit. I'm glad you loved Jeremy's comment about his parents killing him, I saw it in a T.V show and thought that was Jeremy and had to put it in.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed my story enough to spend 12 hours reading it and that you had a laugh out of it.**

**MusicMeHi148**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed my story and have been reading it non-stop. As for if a baby like Dri's has happened before they aren't sure since before Lissa Spirit was known as a possible option for a Moroi elemental magic. If you were a dhampir and all of a sudden fell pregnant with another dhampir and not knowing how it happened would you worry? I would, I would most likely disappear from the world with worry. If you've read Ruby Circle then you know where I'm getting my information from. As for when the baby is born, Nikolaus will raise it as his own. Him and Dri are dating and the public will begin seeing that and won't think anything different. I'm assuming other dhampir couples have raised children in the past. Just because everyone will think it's Jeremy's doesn't mean they will think he will raise it, most Moroi don't raise their own dhampir children. I hope this can answer your questions.**


	105. Chapter 105

**Chapter 105**

Adrianna POV

When I woke up with the feeling of needing to throw up again Nikolaus didn't even try and keep me in the bed beside him, he allowed me to get up and rush to the bathroom. When I finished throwing up I went back and climbed into the bed beside him and he pulled me close to him.

"Feeling better now?"

"No but I suppose I will get there"

"You know you should probably stop spending so much time here"

"Are you kicking me out?"

"Sadly yes, remember we said we would be careful. You spending heaps of time here isn't going to help us in anyway"

"What about when the baby is born and it's a boy that looks exactly like you, then we would be screwed"

"We have 7 months Dri and plus, we aren't telling people I'm the father why would they think that?"

"Fine I'll go home then" I pulled away from him and went to get off the bed but his arm quickly shot out and pulled me back against him.

"I didn't mean now" I rolled over and faced him

"But that's what it seemed"

"Nope, not at all" he smiled at me before leaning over and kissing me.

When I finally arrived at James' suite I was glad to see it was just him and Emily there for the time being, everyone else would turn up soon enough. I walked over and took a seat beside Emily.

"How are you feeling Dri?"

"Horrible, morning sickness is horrible"

"I'm sure it will pass"

"I know, both Lissa and Ellie said the same thing. Tell me something Em, what am I going to tell Belle and Lucas? They're the only ones of our friends that don't know the truth and I can't tell them, I love Belle but I don't completely trust her with a secret this big you and I both know how she gets"

"I know Dri I was thinking about that earlier actually but wasn't there a party around the same time?"

"Yeah the party while I was at Court"

"Damn it, maybe we can fudge on your dates?"

"Maybe but there wasn't a party for a couple of weeks"

"Maybe we will have to stick with the 'you got drunk at a party thing' and say it was at Court?"

"Would Belle and Lucas believe that though?"

"Only one way to find out" Emily shrugged in response not giving me the chance to reply since there was a knock on the door.

The rest of our friends eventually turned up and it wasn't until lunch was served that we finally decided it was time to talk about who got what placements, I was worried about losing Stefan and Carter knowing that no matter where Belle, Lucas or Jeremy went I would still have them in my life for some reason or another since they were friends with James and I have been placed with James.

"Okay seriously it can't be this hard can it?" Belle spoke while looking at us Guardians.

"It's harder than you think Belle, no matter what you Moroi will still have each other but it's harder for us. Depending on our placements we may never see each other again" Carter spoke and it made me wonder what was going on with him, the way he said it didn't sound right. He was almost upset about it.

"Carter's right, for all you know we got placed with some Moroi that lives in Europe and you'll never see us again" Stefan agreed with Carter and I was worried that Stefan didn't get placed with Millie in the end.

"That can't be right" Lucas spoke showing just how little he knew about how Court worked, everyone else knew because they had too. Jeremy and James were royal and were taught how it worked while Belle's family was high enough to almost be royal and the rest of us were Guardians.

"It is, I got placed with Lord Conta. He lives in Italy" we all turned and stared at Carter, no wonder he was sounding upset. He was moving to Europe with no idea when we would see each other.

"Please be lying?" I didn't know what to think, I knew there was a chance I would lose some of my friends but I couldn't not now that I was pregnant.

"I'm sorry Dri but I'm not, I leave in two days. He regularly comes to Court though so if you are at Court we can still each other but it just depends" he almost looked hopeful, I had shared my concerns about my placement to him, Stefan and Emily so he knew I was worried about where I was being placed, I had told him that maybe Court would be the better option for me. Maybe he was hoping I was placed at Court.

"What about you three then?" Belle looked over at where I was sitting in between Stefan and Emily. I knew what Emily had just like she would know what I got placed with but we hadn't voiced it too each other.

"I got placed with Millie"

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME STEFAN!" Jeremy yelled, he knew how bad Stefan was when he came to girls and he was worried about his cousin.

"Hey Jer you're forgetting it's the Moroi that chooses the Guardian, Millie requested Stef" I spoke hoping to get Jeremy to calm down, the last thing we needed was a fist fight between Jeremy and Stefan.

"Great, just great" Jeremy put his face in his hands

"Who's your partner Stef?"

"Dunno some kid from another school I guess, I didn't recognise the name. What about you two?" I shared a look with Emily and we both smiled.

"I got placed with some annoying prat because he actually requested me, I was hoping to stay at Court and spend time with my family" I smirked while shooting James a look, I was hoping to get a reaction out of him

"HEY!" James protested and everyone looked at him in shock. "That's not nice Dri, I could easily change my mind"

"He requested you?" Stefan was shocked, it was obvious neither James nor Millie said something.

"He did as well as Emily…"

"So at least you three have each other" Carter mumbled to himself.

"Hey don't be like that, you were ranked number 1 in our class. You had to know when you heard the results that you would have been requested from Moroi all over, there was a chance you wouldn't see us" I looked at Carter and frowned, I honestly thought out of all he would take this in stride. He had always been like that

"I know but you will all be together, you're partnered with Emily and Stefan is paired with James' best friend and Jeremy's cousin" Carter gave me a small smile but I saw right through it,

"Carter don't be like this"

"Like what?" Carter spoke and I couldn't believe he was having a problem with this. I looked at the rest of my friends and noticed they were shocked too, none of us expected this from him.

"Why are you honestly having a problem with this?"

"I just thought maybe we would all be in the same boat and get spilt up not me be spilt up from all of you" the fake smile was finally gone from Carter's face and we were finally able to see how hurt was by the fact that he was spilt up from us.

"Carter there's holidays, you can come visit us. We can come visit you and plus maybe James and Millie will want to come visit you and then we get too" I was glad when Emily spoke, I was running out of ways to help him realise it wouldn't be so bad.

"Emily's right, we will come visit you. This Lord Conta can't be that bad can he?"

"No idea, I haven't even met him yet. He's not at Court, I'm flying to Italy and he and my new partner are meeting me at the airport" Carter shrugged and I was glad to see him a little less upset about the whole thing now

"Oh bummer" Belle whispered but it was then I realised something.

"Hey, you'll be back soon won't you?" I looked over at Carter, I just hoped he knew what I was getting at.

"Of course Dri, I wouldn't miss it for the world" Carter spoke with a smile on his face, the first real one since the beginning of lunch.

"What's he on about?" Belle looked between us confused, I just hoped she would believe the story Emily and I came up with

"Belle I'm pregnant"

"What how?"

"When I was at Court for the trial there was a party being thrown by the older Moroi, I was annoyed and got drunk, I also had sex"

"But you've never done that"

"Yeah and I've also never been on trial for murder before" I snapped at Belle and I instantly regretted it.

"Sorry, what are you telling everyone?"

"Jeremy agreed to be the fake father, James offered but I want everyone to think that the baby is normal and not like me"

"Oh that makes sense, so that's what you meant by asking Carter if he'll come back"

"Yes, I asked if he would be back when I'm due to give birth. I want all of you to be there, you're all family" I gave them all a smile as I rested my head against Emily's shoulder. So our idea worked and it seemed as though both Belle and Lucas believed the story.

I still couldn't believe that in a couple of days I would be losing Carter, I honestly hoped he would stay with us.

"I know it won't change anything Carter but I did request you, I'm assuming your new royal is more important than I am" Jeremy spoke, I wondered who he else he requested and if he got them and if he didn't who would he end up with.

"I did as well but I guess that fact that Lucas and I aren't royal doesn't mean anything" Belle spoke giving Carter a smile

"It is fine don't worry guys but I am grateful you did that for me" Carter gave them all a smile. "Anyway I have to head back to my suite, I still need to pack" everyone said goodbye to Carter not knowing when they would exactly see him again.

Everyone slowly left after that leaving just James, Emily and myself in James suite, I didn't exactly like being an unintentional third wheel with the two of them so I left not long after as well heading home to spend some time at home like Nikolaus suggested I should do.

When I arrived at home I couldn't see anything that would give away that anyone was home, normally Matt and Nate were glued to the T.V playing videogames unless Ellie cracked it and practically kicked them out telling them to spend some time outside or she had taken them somewhere. I headed up to my room trying to figure out what would happen, I still had no idea what was going to happen with my life.

I know James said he was going to be staying at Court but I didn't know what that meant in terms of my living arrangements, I didn't know if I would eventually get given a suite or a house. Would I be able to live with Nikolaus while James and Emily were our next door neighbours, okay now I was getting ahead of myself. James still hadn't sucked it up and told Emily how he felt and Emily was denying everything but I think she was beginning to realise I knew better.

"Where have you been the last few days?" I turned my head not expecting to see Shane standing in the doorway.

"What's it to you?"

"Just curious" he shrugged but didn't move from his spot

"Why what have you heard?"

"Just an interesting story"

"Oh really, do you feel like sharing?"

"Maybe, what's in it for me?"

"Maybe I won't kick your ass"

"Like you could"

"Really, did you not hear what I was rank?"

"I would love to see you try Dri" he smirked at me and I laughed at him.

"Seriously what are you doing here?"

"Adrian has to leave Court at sunrise, both Nathan and I are going with him"

"Where is he going?"

"No idea, he wouldn't tell me just gave me an address. He's currently with Lissa at the moment"

"Right, now what was this interesting story you heard?"

"Just about you and Nikolaus"

"Dad told you"

"Of course he did, he wasn't too impressed about the whole thing"

"What else did he tell you?"

"Something about you being pregnant and asked if I knew anything about your relationship"

"What did you say?"

"That I didn't know anything about it, all I knew is what happened in Melbourne and what he felt towards you. I told him I suspected something like everyone else but you denied it"

"I denied it to everyone"

"Yes you are the perfect little liar aren't you?"

"Secrets keeps everyone closer because they're so curious as to what I'm keeping from them"

"Somehow I don't believe you Dri"

"Why is that?"

"I've heard you say before that secrets is what keeps friends close, I honestly believe you follow that and you're friends knew about the relationship"

"Why are you here Shane?"

"I'm waiting for Adrian"

"Why are you talking to me about this? Surely you can understand why I didn't tell anyone"

"I can, considering I helped keep the fact that you two had sex in Melbourne a secret surely you could have told me this"

"Are you kidding me, are you telling me if I turned around and told you at Christmas that yes there was something going on between Nikolaus and I and that was why I was at Rose and Dimitri's because they knew and they hoped I could find out what was bothering him"

"Alright so maybe I would have freaked about it but maybe if you didn't keep it a secret you wouldn't have fallen pregnant"

"Yes because I believe somehow dad would have found out and either Nikolaus or I would have been pulled from St Vladimir's and I would never see him again"

"Dri"

"No I'm being serious here Shane, dad would have organised it so one of us had been pulled. Hell Rose and Dimitri would have done the same thing had they not seen him be there for me after I was kidnapped"

"Does he know you're pregnant?"

"Who Nikolaus?"

"No Frankenstein"

"Oh you're funny but yes Nikolaus knows I'm pregnant"

"How did he react?" Shane moved so he was sitting on the end of my bed

"He thought I had sex with someone else, it took a bit to convince him that it was his along with a DNA test"

"How many people know it's his?"

"About as many people who know the truth about our relationship, I know it's going to get out eventually but for now we're trying to stop that"

"I'm sure you will be fine with that after everything you've been through. How did your placement go and what about your friends?" of course the other Guardians would know what happened today

"Well Carter got placed with some Moroi in Italy and he leaves in a few days while Emily and myself got placed with James and Stefan got placed with James' best friend Millie"

"At least you get to keep most of your friends, did Belle and Lucas get anyone?"

"Yeah they both got a Guardian each and Jeremy's got two as well but they're from another school. I have no idea when everyone else is leaving, I know Millie wants to study on the west coast but no idea when her and Stefan will be leaving"

"Is it just Stefan guarding Millie?"

"Nah, he said there's someone else from another school"

"You won't lose your friends completely Dri, you will still see them and phones were invented for a reason" Shane gave me a smile before turning and leaving my room.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Dri and Kass finally met, I originally didn't plan on Kass having that story but I needed something for her to be easily accepted back and when I did I thought back and it made sense as to why Nik was so understanding when he first out what Michael did to her and it just all seemed to fall into place.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Nik is just going to stay at Court, he won't guard anyone as such but you will see in future chapters that he does take Dri's place with James. I'm only updating every day because I've actually finished writing the story and I'm eager to get it out and see how you all react so I'm glad you appreciate it.**

**MusicMeHi148**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad I could answer your questions, no at this point in time Kass does not know about Dri being pregnant but she will find out eventually. No she won't, she will stick with Nik at some point it will come up again as a bit of fluff but other than that no.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed seeing Nik with his family, I don't if you misunderstood what I wrote or it came across the wrong way but Dri does know about his family. She just didn't know what happened to Kass, what Nik meant by only knowing about his mum and Kostas was that he only knew about what happened to them and not everyone else.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you love Kass, I try to make her lovable since I want her to be a key person in their future.**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved it.**


	106. Chapter 106

**Chapter 106**

Adrianna POV

"How are you feeling?" I turned and looked over at Ellie.

My morning sickness was the worst this morning and I don't know why, I swear I don't remember ever hearing about people getting it this bad. I was curled up on the couch watching movies with Nik, he had come over with the idea of doing something today but he wouldn't tell me what it was. He took one look at me before changing his mind and we've been here ever since.

Nik had started his shifts as a Court Guardian and I was technically working with James but until he left safety of the wards I wasn't needed to go with him and Hans didn't want to roster me into the Court's system while I was pregnant, something about how my pregnancy was different and he didn't want to risk anything.

"No, I thought this was meant to stop. When does it stop Ellie?"

"It varies person to person sweetie, I was having morning sickness well into my second trimester with Matt but it stopped at 12 weeks with Nate. You should try having something to eat"

"No thank you" I turned back to the T.V and Nik stroked my head, I couldn't believe that he was still here helping me through all of this.

I was just lucky that dad was still away, him, Shane and Nathan left a few days ago on their secret mission not telling any of us what it was but we have all heard from him so we know he's alright.

"You should try and eat something Dri"

"How about this Nik, you spend the morning throwing up and still have the feeling of needing to throw up and then tell me if you still feel like eating"

"Don't snap at me Dri" I rolled over and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry but I don't feel like eating, it's just going to make it worse"

"Alright but at least have something to drink, I'll get you some juice" Nik softly kissed my head before getting up and heading towards the kitchen.

While I was waiting for him to come back Matt and Nate came running into the living room and took over control of the T.V.

"Hey what do you think you two are doing?" they both turned around shocked at seeing me lying on the couch

"Oh didn't even see you there Dri" Matt spoke before turning back to the T.V

"Yeah exactly, I'm watching it"

"Please" they both whined.

"No way, I'm not giving in today. I'm watching movies and that's final"

"But you never sit this still long enough to watch movies" Matt spoke and he was right but this was the only thing I could do, I was too nauseas to sleep and I wasn't up for doing anything else.

"Not the point"

"Boys leave you sister alone, she's not feeling well. Go and play up in your rooms" I heard Ellie's voice from kitchen.

"Ah I see how it is, Dri's not allowed boys in her room so we're getting kicked out" I wanted to know what caused Matt to become angry and when I lifted my head I saw Nik coming back towards me with the juice he grabbed for me.

Nate didn't have a problem with me being with Nik he said he liked him but Matt was a different story. Matt didn't like the idea of me being with someone after what happened with Jeremy, the weekend after I found out Jeremy cheated on me I escaped the senior campus and headed towards the middle school in hopes of escaping my friends but instead I ran into Matt and told him what happened. I think Matt's hatred towards Nik was worry that he was going to hurt me the same way Jeremy did or god forbid he let someone kidnap me again but I don't think Nik would let that happen again.

"Matt don't be like that"

"Like what? Why is he even here?" I was shocked at the amount of venom in Matt's voice

"MATTHEW!" I heard Ellie yell from the kitchen before she entered the living room.

"Yes mum"

"Don't be rude"

"But dad" Matt complained and I still couldn't believe he was being like this

"I don't care what your father does, Nikolaus is a guest in our house and you will treat him as such"

"But we want to play video games"

"Then take it upstairs, let your sister get some rest on the couch and stop being rude"

"Yes mum" Matt looked away from Ellie and began unplugging the console and I couldn't help but laugh at how he was acting.

On their way out Nate came over and hugged me saying he hoped I would feel better soon enough before following Matt out of the room. Nik came and sat back down in the same spot after handing me the glass of juice.

"Thank you"

"I can't believe your brother hates me" I looked up at him and he actually looked bothered by the idea of Mat hating him

"He doesn't hate you, he just doesn't want you to hurt me like Jeremy did. He's worried that's all"

"But him and your dad"

"Don't start on my dad, dad agreed he would try with you"

"He's not even here"

"I know he left on some secret thing and didn't tell anyone, or Ellie does know and won't tell me"

"I'm sure everything fine Dri, don't stress so much"

"You're the one that worries too much"

"Yes but I'm not pregnant, you are"

"We could swap if you want?"

"And how would we do that?"

"I don't know" I cracked it and turned around to face the T.V

"Aw don't be like that, I'm sure once your further along and your morning sickness is gone you will be fine" he leaned over and pressed his lips against my head before paying attention back to the movie.

I knew we both hated sitting still like this but I was too sick to move and he was being sweet by spending the day in front of the T.V with me.

I didn't even realise I had fallen asleep until I heard Nik talking to someone, it took me a while to work out it was dad he was talking to and for once I was glad he wasn't yelling at Nik.

"How is she doing?" dad questioned, I was just glad it wasn't what are you doing here.

"If you ask her she will lie to you but today's pretty bad, she's barely eaten. The only thing she can seem to keep down is juice"

"At least this part of her pregnancy is normal, Ellie was pretty bad at some points with Nate"

"I know, I remember some of my cousins being like this. I hate seeing her like this" I felt Nik stroke my head again

"You really care about her"

"I do, more than you know" Nik whispered

"Look I really am trying with you here, I've spoken to both Rose and Dimitri and they've both told me how it's always been you who has been there for her through everything and I'm grateful she has had you there for her after everything but that doesn't mean I'm happy with this whole situation"

"And I can understand that, you have to know that if I knew she could have fallen pregnant…"

"You what? Wouldn't have had sex with her?"

"I would have been more careful about it, I don't regret having sex with her Adrian. I love Adrianna, I truly do"

"Have you thought about marriage?"

"I have…" okay this was a conversation I didn't want to hear anymore. I rolled over and mumbled something causing them both to be quiet.

"We'll continue this later Nikolaus"

"Of course"

Nikolaus POV

Dri had fallen asleep again and I took this as the opportunity to go and finish the conversation with Adrian, I knew it would be better if I sought him out instead of the other way round. I headed towards the back where his office was and found him going over some paperwork. I knocked on the door and he looked up at me.

"Where's Dri?"

"Fallen asleep again, did you want to finish that conversation?"

"Yes of course, so you've thought about marriage?"

"I have, I'm older than her so of course it's something that's gone through my mind. I would love to be married to her but she's 19, it's not something she's thought of"

"How do you know?"

"A conversation we were having and marriage got brought up, she freaked. I told her it wasn't me proposing or anything, it was just a discussion"

"Very well, now about this baby"

"What about it?"

"You say now you plan on sticking by her but what about when it's actually here?"

"I know what it entails having a baby, I've seen my cousins have children. As I said, I love Dri and I'm not going to give up the chance to raise my child. You and I both know that most male dhampirs won't ever have children, why would I give that up?"

"Very well you should return to the living room before Dri wakes up, otherwise she will think I did something"

"Of course" I went to leave but Adrian stopped me.

"Oh and Nikolaus, if you hurt her. You better return to Greece and don't return this time" I nodded at him wondering how he would follow through with that threat, Dimitri just threatened to kill me if I hurt Dri and Rose agreed.

I returned to the living room to find that Dri was still sound asleep, I wanted her morning sickness to go away so she wasn't like this. I hated seeing her this weak and I knew she hated showing she was weak. I carefully lifted her head so I could sit back down on the couch and put her head in my lap before putting on another movie to watch.

Adrianna POV

This time when I woke up I realised I was in my bed instead of on the couch where I fell asleep, I rolled over almost expecting to be alone when I rolled into a warm body.

"And I was comfortable until just then" I smiled at the sound of Nik's voice, I opened my eyes and looked up at him.

"What are we doing up here?"

"Your dad suggested we come up here so you could actually get some sleep"

"Yes but both of us are in here"

"The door is open" I looked over and true to his word my bedroom was opened. I wondered if that him trying to stay on dad's good side or if it was something dad suggested lined with a threat.

"I see, when does your shift start?"

"Not for a couple of hours, are you capable of showering and coming somewhere with me?"

"Why?"

"I want to take you somewhere" he gave me a smile and I was incredibly curious

"What's brought this on?"

"Spending _all_ day on the couch with you, I'm incredibly bored"

"You didn't have to spend the day on the couch with me, you could have gone and done something else"

"But I liked spending the day with you, even though you spent some of it asleep" he had a smile on his face before he leaned over and kissed me.

"I'm sorry"

"It's fine, you're allowed to be exhausted, I just want you to feel better"

"I don't think I will for the next few months and just remember this is all your fault" I smirked at him and he shook his head.

"I'll try to remember that now are you up for showering and coming somewhere with me?"

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Nope but the sun is up and it's getting warmer" I grinned at the thought of the sun being up. "Exactly now go shower, I will meet you downstairs" he gave me another kiss before getting out my bed and leaving my room.

I was feeling better after my shower and I ended up putting a dress and allowing Nik to take me wherever he had planned. We were currently walking across the grounds and it wasn't until he stopped and walked behind me and put a hand over my eyes that I was curious.

"What are you doing Nik?"

"It's a surprise, come on. I hope that you will like it"

"Well there's only one surprise you've given me that I haven't enjoyed so it can't be that bad"

"What surprise is that?"

"The one where I found out I was pregnant" I felt him rest his head on top of mine

"I'm not going to be able to live that one down am I?"

"Nope, you got me pregnant"

"Oh come on neither of us had any idea that you could fall pregnant even when you found out that there was a rumour floating around that it could happen you still never told me!" he snapped at me and I pulled away from him so I could face him.

"Don't start on that again, I said I was sorry. I honestly didn't think anything of it alright, I just thought it was going to be just that!"

"I get that I do but you can't keep holding this whole thing over my head, we both agreed to have sex that day Dri we're both at fault here" I could tell he was angry but he was trying to prevent a fight, he knew my anger was also fuelled by my hormones.

"I'm sorry Nik" I looked up at him as tears blurred my vision, his face softened as he reached over to cup my face.

"I know and it's fine, do you still want to come with me?" I nodded at him as I turned around, one hand went to my waist while the other went over my eyes again.

He led me to wherever he had planned in silence, I didn't know if it's because we were still angry and trying not to fight or if we were just trying to be careful with our words. I didn't hold him at fault for falling pregnant, he was right when he said we were both at fault but it was meant to just start out as a teasing comment I didn't mean for it to go that way.

"Now I remember what you said about how you were going to miss the clearing near the novice dorms so I found this and thought maybe this could be our new spot" Nik pulled his hand away from my eyes and I was able to take in the spot.

It was one of the smaller courtyards at Court and it was stunning with the amount of flowers that were growing here. I leaned back against him and placed my hands on his, whenever we stood like this his hands always went to my stomach. There was only a small bump there and it wasn't visible underneath my clothes but if I lifted my top and stood to the side it was noticeable that way. It always felt right when he placed his hands on my stomach.

Nik softly kissed my head and I had a smile on my face. "This is perfect Nik"

"I thought so as well, I'm sorry for snapping at you"

"Its fine, I shouldn't had blamed you for being pregnant"

"I know and it's just going to get worse so I'm trying to patient with you"

"It won't work, we've always argued" I twisted in his arms and smirked at him.

"If this baby is anything like you I'm going to be screwed aren't I?"

"We'll have to wait and see won't we?"

"As long as it isn't a girl"

"You don't want a girl?" I raised an eyebrow at him, I knew it was early in the pregnancy and we hadn't even begun to think about names or genders but still this was a shock.

"What will I do with a girl?"

"Be wrapped around her fingers and you will do whatever she wants?"

"I have you for that Dri, but no girl" I melted at that comment and the smile on his face

"Seriously, why no girl?"

"Oh come on when she starts dating, actually if we have a girl she won't ever date"

"You can't be serious" I questioned him, I couldn't believe he was actually serious.

"If I am?"

"Would it be so bad if we had a girl?"

"And when some asshole breaks her heart?"

"Or what if she gets incredibly drunk one night, has sex with some guy and in the morning he lies to her about not remembering it" I smirked at him and he laughed.

"She won't be having sex either"

"We'll see about that and plus you might get lucky and we'll have a boy"

I heard him mutter something but it wasn't loud enough for me to hear him but whatever it was made him hug me tighter and kiss the top of my head.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! No one has yet to correctly guess the gender and name of the baby so please keep them coming, I'm extremely curious as to what everyone thinks.**

**To prevent any questions I will have about what Nik said to Dri, I assume it would be something along the lines of whatever makes you happy.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Trust me I know exactly what it means to leave high school and those friends, I only talk to like 4 of my high school friends everyone else is who I met since leaving and the friendships are so much better.**

**Guest who reviewed chapter 104**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad that you like James and how he has kept Dri close to her friends. I hate Kass' story and how everything happened but your right Lycus is a lovely kid and I made it so for her because Nik's protectiveness of Dri when Michael was around made sense, it didn't matter if the feelings were already there it was early on. As for Nik telling Kass the truth, well it is covered in a future chapter.**

**Guest who reviewed chapter 105**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes poor Carter, he has to leave but not everyone is staying remember Stefan is going off with Millie for her schooling and at some point Jeremy, Belle and Lucas will go off to college as well. As for Shane, I'm sorry if it came across the wrong way. It's partially him being nosy and partially him wanting to know the truth, he's known since the incident in Melbourne and assumed something is going on between them. As for where Adrian is going it's not really covered in the story because Dri never finds out the truth but it's him following up on some Spirit rumours.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Shane is nosy and also concerned for Dri. It does suck for Carter but he won't be completely left out, I do have a plan for him and as a Shane said phones were invented for a reason.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It does seem odd to have no control over your future and that is the one part of my story I hated doing but it had to be done, I couldn't let all the dhampirs have the future they wanted. It's why I made the note of mentioning that Carter was top of the class and that Moroi all over the world will want him, it's so Dri can learn that even though she was given some leeway at St Vladimir's it doesn't work like that in the real world, she can't get what she wants.**

**MusicMeHi148**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. It is no issues, I know what it's like not having people answer your questions but this isn't the place or time for me to rant about that. I will try to answer your questions as you ask them but as for if it's a boy or a girl I won't be answering that because it's part of the story line. As you saw in this chapter Nik made mention to not wanting a girl and it's something that comes up on multiple occasions about what the gender of the baby will be. I'm glad you love my writing!**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I know I didn't really talk about who Jeremy got as Guardians mainly because they are from another school and aren't a part of my story. That conversation between the friends was more what was happening with the dhampirs since they were the ones having their futures affected instead of the Moroi.**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you're enjoying my story.**


	107. Chapter 107

**Chapter 107**

Adrianna POV

I had barely seen Nik over the last two weeks or so due to him working his Guardian shifts since I had pretty much spent the entire time in my bed not wanting to leave and dad wanted me to return to the hospital and see the doctor to make sure my morning sickness was normal but I didn't have the energy to leave my bed.

I was almost asleep when I felt people climb into my bed beside me, I almost didn't want to open my eyes in case it was my brothers trying to bug me again. In the end dad and Ellie had to tell them I was pregnant since they were getting worried that I wasn't getting any better.

"Come on Dri, you can't spend all day in bed" I groaned at the sound Emily's voice before rolling over and opening my eyes coming face to face with her and Stefan.

"What's your problem?" Stefan laughed at me and I pulled a face at him

"Morning sickness is a bitch Stef, why are you here?"

"We've missed you" Emily spoke first quickly shutting Stefan up, I was a little confused about her act

"That and I'm leaving today. Millie's flying out to where her parents are before going to the west coast to get settled before school"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah I don't really want to leave either but I have no choice" Stefan spoke and it now made sense as to why Emily spoke quickly shutting him

"I know but why today when I don't feel like leaving my bed"

"Well then you're really not going to like why we're here" Stefan gave me a sad smile and I honestly didn't like where this was going

"Why are you two here then?"

"Well apart from spending the afternoon with you both before I have to leave…" Stefan started before looking at Emily

"James also wants to take Millie, Stefan and Brendon to the airport" Emily finished and I was a little upset. I didn't feel like going to the airport today, hell I didn't even feel like leaving my bed.

"I'm assuming Brendon is the other the Guardian"

"Yeah he is" Stefan replied, I wondered if the two of them had met yet

"So in other words I have no choice about getting out of bed"

"Yeah sorry Dri"

"It's fine, I can't seriously spend my whole pregnancy in bed"

"Have you gone and had it checked out yet?" Emily spoke and I could tell she was concerned, so far she seemed to be the most excited about the pregnancy.

"Nope but dad made an appointment for me tomorrow, the doctor that knows the extent of my pregnancy isn't working today"

"I'm surprised Nikolaus didn't make the appointment" Emily spoke and Stefan laughed, those two had quickly caught on that Nik worried a fair bit because of everything I had been through in the past

"Ah that is where you're are wrong, he was the one that went to dad and suggested maybe making the appointment behind my back" I grumbled while attempting to pull the blanket over my head.

"And now he is hiding from you?" Stefan was the one to pull the blanket back while he spoke.

"Nah he's working, he said he'll be here for dinner"

"Ellie must be thrilled having everyone here for dinner" Emily's comment confused me, I didn't know what she meant. I assumed it was just going to be the three of us

"What do you mean?"

"Well James and Millie are currently downstairs talking to Ellie" Stefan spoke and it was then I realised it was going to be the five of us all afternoon since James had become close to Stefan as well he deserved to have one ore afternoon and Millie couldn't be left out.

"You are really going to spend the afternoon here?"

"Yeah and then after dinner we have to head to the airport" Emily spoke shifting on the bed almost as if she expected me to turn around and say I'm going to stay in bed all day

"Alright let me go have a shower and I will meet you downstairs" I climbed off my bed and headed to the bathroom hoping more than anything that a shower will help.

I really didn't want to go the airport if I was still feeling like this, if we were attacked I wouldn't be able to help protect James. I didn't want to risk his life just because I wasn't feeling well.

When I made it downstairs I found them all sitting in the living room playing one of Matt and Nate's video games, I continued through to the kitchen to grab a drink. Juice and crackers are the only thing I can keep down and it was starting to annoy me.

"So this is what we're doing, spending the afternoon playing video games when I know for a fact that within five minutes both Stefan and I will be yelling at the T.V while Emily will be internally yelling" Stefan and Emily both laughed at how true my statement was, it must have a dhampir thing. Even the couple of times I've seen Rose and Dimitri attempt to play them with Matt and Nate it ended in disaster but I was still the only one to break the T.V

"Sure just don't break the T.V" Stefan grinned me and I narrowed my eyes in response

"Oh come on I do that one time and I don't live that down" I crossed my arms as I sat down on the armchair.

"It was funny when we heard it" Emily grinned, her and Stefan were the first to hear it since they turned up that night and had to listen to Matt and Nate retell the story over and over again.

"And plus back to this whole what are we doing, are you feeling up for anything else?" James spoke without looking at me

"You have a point James, pass me a controller"

We did end up spending the afternoon playing video games and I was glad I had this time with Stefan before he had to leave. The closer it was getting to dinner the more upset I was getting about Stefan leaving, I barely knew Millie but I knew her enough to know that Stefan would be fine with her and without us.

"Is this what you have done all afternoon?" I turned my head and the sound of Nik's voice and gave him a smile, everyone else said hello before turning back and facing the T.V

"I didn't feel up for much other than leaving my bed, do you want to join us?" he walked over and pulled me up before sitting back down and pulling me down on his lap.

"No thanks I almost broke the T.V yesterday when I played with Matt and Nate"

"At least that's something you have in common" Stefan laughed at us and I shot him a look.

"I didn't break it though, that's all Dri" Nik spoke and I wouldn't have been surprised if he had a smug look on his face

"Don't be mean, why is everyone picking on me" it was true, I was losing badly at the game and everyone kept picking on me for it.

"Aw don't be like that" Nik laughed before kissing my neck but all I did was pull away from him.

"Those two really are cute together" Millie cooed and it wasn't long before Emily joined in.

"Yes well he's had since graduation to get comfortable around us"

This then resulted in everyone picking on Nik and it wasn't long until he pulled me back against him so he could hide his face.

"Alright I think that is enough of picking on people, I thought this was meant to be fun since Stef and Millie are leaving tonight"

"Oh right" James stared at us before laughing slightly

"Come on guys dinner is ready" I heard Ellie's voice and everyone else got up and left while I stay behind with Nik

"Are you going to eat tonight?"

"I'll try"

"I'm so glad you're getting checked out tomorrow"

"I wish it was today, James is going to the airport to say goodbye to Stefan and Millie"

"Which means you have to go with them"

"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to it"

"I'm sure it will be fine, come on let's go and have some dinner" he gave me a soft kiss before I got up and headed into the kitchen.

Dinner was finished and we were just about to leave for the airport when Nik pulled me aside. "Let me come with you, that way if something goes wrong you will have someone else with you"

"But you worked all day"

"And I'm probably in better condition to work again then you are, I know you want it to be just your friends but you're not capable of working"

"Are you sure you want to come though, I know you still aren't that comfortable around my friends"

"It's more I'm trying to break the habits I was in for the last 12 months" he gave me a smile and I was glad he was trying with my friends.

"Alright, thank you for doing this for me" I leaned up and softly kissed him before leaving the house to get in the car to head to the airport.

We were now currently standing in the airport saying goodbye, I was standing with my arm looped through Emily's while we were talking to Stefan and James and Mille were off to the side. I looked around noticed Nik not too far from but he wasn't focusing on us, he was looking around keeping an eye on James and Millie. The sun was up and we weren't at risk of being attacked by Strigoi but I was living proof of attacks happening during the day.

"I'm going to miss you both so much"

"We'll miss you too Stefan" Emily rested her head on my shoulder

"Exactly and plus, Millie and James are best friends I doubt this will be the last time we will see each other" I spoke while giving him a smile

"I know but it will be weird not being able to see you every day" Stefan spoke and he was right, ever since I had met them I hadn't gone a day without seeing them unless I was grounded. All three of us lived at Court making it easier to see each other during the holidays

"I know, we'll get through it. Phones were invented for a reason" I had a small smile on my face after Emily's comment.

"Emily's right and plus you will be back in Feb for I'm due to give birth"

"Exactly, even if I can't get the time off James will be able to convince Millie to fly out here" Stefan spoke, I had feeling James wouldn't have to convince Millie to fly out once I had given birth, she seemed excited about the baby and I barely knew the girl

"I just wish Millie didn't want to study on the west coast" Em spoke and when I looked at her I knew she was trying to hold her tears back.

"It will be fine Em, I'm here for you as well as James" I spoke while giving her hand a squeeze

"Exactly, Emily listen to Dri and stop denying your feelings for James" I grinned at Stefan for his comment,

"Hah! See I'm not the only one that thinks it Em" I hadn't spoken to anyone about how I thought something was going between them except Nik

"I hate you two, there is nothing going on there" Emily grumbled but Stefan and I just laughed

"Whatever, you should do this one last favour for Stefan since he's leaving and just admit it"

"But we're friends" Emily whispered

"It will be fine, it won't always turn out that bad. Jeremy and I are friends again"

"Only because you found Nikolaus" Emily spoke and I shared a look with Stefan

"Shush Em, we're talking here" Stefan grinned at her. No matter how much I would miss Stefan this was how it always between us, we picked on each other, made fun of other and got drunk together. It was rare for us to have a serious conversation but I knew they would always be there for me when I needed them and they both knew I was there for them when they needed it.

"Stefan it's time for us to go" we all turned our heads at the sound of Millie's voice.

I hugged both Millie and Stefan and I continued to stand there with my arm looped through Emily's as we watched them both walk through the gate heading towards security. Even once they were one we still stood there not moving.

Nik moved closer to me and pulled me away from Emily. "Come on we should head back to Court" I nodded against his chest and when I looked over at Emily I noticed James had his arms around her, I just hoped she would take our advice and admit what she was denying.

When I woke up the following morning for once I didn't feel the need to throw up, I was just glad dad agreed to let Nik stay the night as long as my bedroom door stayed opened. I rolled over pressing myself closer to him and he automatically draped an arm over my waist pulling me tighter against him.

"Don't need to throw up this morning?" he questioned before softly kissing my forehead

"Nope I feel fine and in fact I'm incredibly hungry" I kissed what I could of his neck, I heard him quietly groan.

"Please don't Dri, if we were in my suite I wouldn't have a problem"

I completely ignored him and continued to kiss his neck, it didn't take long for him to get annoyed with what I was doing and he flipped the both of us so he was on top and able to stop me from kissing his neck.

"I said don't Dri" he growled and all I could do was smile, he wasn't angry at me, he was angry at the situation. He knew he couldn't do anything while we were in my bedroom, with the door opened and any possible chance dad could walk past.

"I'm sorry" I pouted at him and he smiled.

"Its fine, come on let's get you some breakfast if you're so hungry" I grinned at him and he laughed before softly pressing his lips against mine and pulling me out of my bed and leading me downstairs.

"Good morning you two, are you actually joining us for breakfast?" Ellie spoke when we entered the kitchen, normally I would just skip breakfast and stay in bed not wanting to even attempt at having food while Nik went downstairs.

"Yes I have no morning sickness and I'm starving Ellie, where's dad?" we both walked over and took a seat at the table while Ellie continued to make breakfast.

"With Lissa, he got woken up early this morning"

"What has dad been up to? He's been coming and going at crazy hours"

"I don't know what to tell you Dri, I don't know what he's up to"

"It's strange that's all"

"I'm sure everything is fine Dri, what time is your doctor's appointment?" Ellie questioned before returning to the stove.

"Just after lunch but I'm feeling fine, do I still have to go?" I looked over at Nik knowing if he said yes I wouldn't be able to get out of it no matter how much I tried

"We're not arguing about this Dri, just because you're feeling better doesn't mean what you felt was normal" I frowned but decided to go along with it none the less.

"Alright fine I will go if it will keep you off my back" I gave Nikolaus a smile and when I looked over at Ellie she was watching us with amusement. "What Ellie?"

"Nothing, it's just how you two act around each other. You're so at ease with each other, it's refreshing to see that in young people" she gave us a smile and turned back to breakfast just as Matt and Nate joined us at the table.

I was nervous going to my doctor's appointment, Nikolaus wasn't able to come with me since he had to work again but Emily was able to come since James didn't need her. The doctor said everything I was feeling was normal and everything was travelling along normally and that I shouldn't worry until there is something that isn't normal.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. As for my writing normally it does take me weeks but I'm one of those people that writes ahead so I have actually finished writing this story and already moved on to the next while struggling with writers block on another story.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I had a feeling it might have been you but I didn't want to say anything just in case it wasn't. I'm glad you thought Nik was really sweet in the previous chapter, I keep trying to show different sides of him. I think Matt is hilarious as a protective younger brother, it's what I've wanted him to be like and I've done it in previous chapters. Adrian is trying but it's hard with him barely being around but I also couldn't make him 100% accepting of their relationship whether or Dri was pregnant. I don't think marriage is what makes him happy, I think it's more him coming home and seeing Nik be there for Dri is what's keeping him happy. Adrian doesn't want Dri to be left alone in this. Of course they would have found a new spot, I wouldn't let them not have one for the rest of the story.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you laughed at that, I've never actually been pregnant or had a friend that was pregnant so what I write is either coming from movies or what I've gotten from google so I'm glad most woman say that to the father at some point.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me.**

**MusicMeHi148**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. No Dri won't be going through the same situations, from here to the end it will be different because it's focusing on Dri's pregnancy and how she coping with it and how it's different. As for Kass, she will be in chapters here and then but not a regular.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad I was clear up your question. As for their spot, yes I will miss it as well I enjoyed writing their little moments when they were out there. I'm glad you enjoy the arguing, I feel like every couple will have little arguments here and there. As for the gender I will not give that away but I'm glad you think that Nik would be wrapped around her finger if it was a girl**


	108. Chapter 108

**Chapter 108**

James POV

It had been a week since Millie and Stefan had left, Millie planned on spending time with her parents before heading out to California and get settled before her school started up. Even though I spent the better part of the last two years separated from Millie I hated that she was moving to California, she wouldn't be behind wards where she could be protected and I just hoped this Brendon guy was as good as Stefan so I knew Millie would be safe, well safe from Strigoi I had no idea what Millie and Stefan had in mind for each other.

I had seen a bit of Dri over the last week since she had been feeling better but every time I focused on her all I got from her was worry and concern and I hated that she was so worried about the future of her baby, it's why I was spending more and more time with Adrian and Lissa in one of the rooms in the royal building.

"James" I had a smile on my face at the sound of Em's voice, I had also been seeing more of her lately but I still haven't gotten around to telling her how I feel. "What are you doing?" she spoke as she walked over and sat down beside me on the couch in my apartment.

"Something to help Dri"

"Meaning Spirit" Emily trailed off sounding exactly like Dri did whenever Spirit was mentioned.

"Yes Spirit" I laughed at her and finally looked up at her, she was watching me with a smile on her face.

As much as I wanted to look in her head to try know what she was thinking, I couldn't. I promised her I wouldn't do that anymore, she liked to have her privacy and I respected that. I had stopped looking in everyone's head except Dri's but that was because hers was different and I had a feeling Spirit had something to do with it but I can't be for sure. With Dri it's different, it's like her head easily accepts me in and I can find what I want easier then I could in someone else's.

"Can I ask you something?" Emily spoke and I was worried when her smile finally dropped, I nodded and placed the book I was reading on the table. "Is Dri being pregnant the reason you have been acting weird lately?"

"I haven't been acting weird Em"

"You have and please don't deny it, you've been different. You've been acting different towards me and I don't know why" I tried to look back and see how I've been acting different towards her but I couldn't think of anything, it's been the same I have been since I fell for her or has she finally realised?

"I don't know what you are on about Em"

"Are you sure? You've been treating me differently to how you do Dri"

"But that's Dri, everyone treats her differently" I scoffed but she shook her head.

"Fine what about Millie, it's different to Millie. Why James?"

I didn't know what to say in response to her, I didn't want it to be done like this. At some point we had leaned closer to each other, I didn't completely think this through but I did it anyway. I closed the gap between us and kissed her.

I was shocked when she immediately kissed me back wrapping her arms around my neck while I wrapped mine around her waist and pulled her closer.

I broke the kiss and pulled away, I was happy to see there was a smile on her and I just hoped this was a good sign that she was smiling.

"Why did you kiss me James?"

"Did you not want me too?"

"Never said that"

I let out a breath before speaking, I didn't know how this would go. "I have feelings for you Em, I have for a while" the smile on her face grew even more and it was then I wondered if she felt the same.

"Is that why you kissed me after that party" I nodded. "And both Dri and Stefan knew" I nodded and she shook her head.

"I've been trying to work out how to tell you but I didn't know how without ruining our friendship"

"Is that why you requested me?"

"I didn't want to lose you" I spoke softly while looking down at the gap between us and it didn't take long for Em's hand to be placed on my cheek.

"That's why they've both been trying to get me to just accept my own feelings for you" I looked up at her in shock, did she just say what I think she said.

"Em did you just?"

"Admit I have feelings for you, yes. I planned on telling Dri first but you kissed me instead" I didn't say anything else I just leaned over and kissed her again this time pushing her back against the couch.

I was disappointed with Em pulled away, "Dri is going to lose it when she finds out"

Crap how could I forget about Dri, she has been pushing me for ages to tell Em and by the sounds of it she has been pushing Em to tell me. I rested me forehead against Em's. "Dri is pregnant and already hormonal she is really going to lose it"

Emily laughed softly before leaning up to kiss me again.

Adrianna POV

The longer I was at Court the more I enjoyed waking up next to Nikolaus, I enjoyed waking up with his arm wrapped tightly around my waist. I felt protected like this and I wouldn't give it up for the world.

I rolled over so I was facing Nik and was happy to see he was awake, his eyes might have been closed but the smile on his face told me he was awake. It was the same lazy smile he had every morning when we woke up.

"Nicky…" I spoke softly and the smile instantly dropped from his face and his eyes snapped opened.

"What did I say about calling me Nicky?" he spoke calmly and I was a little worried, he wasn't angry or annoyed.

"But Nicky is so cute" I teased and I then found out my mistake when his arm moved and his hand stopped on my exposed leg.

"You really want to play this game? Haven't we already learnt that I have more self-control" he had a smirk on his face as he softly ran his fingers along my thigh and I was kicking myself for just putting on his shirt to sleep in.

"I believe it was you that kissed me first that morning I ended up falling pregnant"

"So I slipped once, you regularly slip Dri" his fingers moved to the inside of my thigh and I sucked in a breath

"Wouldn't this count as you slipping?" I managed to get out and I closed my eyes

"I'm not doing anything except this" my breathing increased as his fingers went higher up my thigh.

"Nicky…"

"What did I say about calling me Nicky?" he growled as his fingers ran along the edge of my underwear

Normally I had no problem when he teased me like this but I had a feeling this was punishment for calling him Nicky and I didn't like it. "But it's so cute" I got out in between breaths and when I opened my eyes he had a massive grin on his face. "You're an asshole" I spat out and swatted his hand away before climbing out of the bed.

Nik had stopped preventing me from getting out of bed just in case I needed to throw up, I made it to the doorway and looked back at him. He was sitting up in the bed looking at me with a smirk. "Is there a problem Dri?"

"You tell me" I smiled at him as I begun undoing the buttons of the shirt and his smirk fell from his face.

"You're playing with fire Dri" he spoke calmly again but all I did was lean against the doorway with the shirt open.

"You started this Nicky" I smiled sweetly at him but all it did was cause him to get out of bed and come towards me, I let out a laugh before taking off running.

I hated this apartment, it wasn't possible for us to run around for long since it was too easy for one of us to get cornered and I did, in the kitchen.

Nik had me trapped in between him and the counter top, I smiled up at him not knowing what to expect from this. "Nicky what's wrong?"

"Are you really going to keep calling me Nicky?" he spoke softly with all hints of teasing gone from his voice.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Please Dri, I'm begging you don't call me Nicky. I hate it and I can't get my family to stop, I gave up trying and just deal with it"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise you hated it that much"

"Its fine, come back to bed"

"No I just don't trust you in bed anymore" I narrowed my eyes at him but all he did was laugh before moving his hands to my waist.

"Aw Dri it was just a bit of fun, normally you enjoy it when I do that" he softly kissed my neck and I shivered against him. "If your cold come back to bed"

"You know I'm not cold" I spoke and he grinned before picking me up and carrying me back to bed.

Nikolaus POV

Dri and I were lying in bed and I had my arms wrapped protectively around her, ever since she found out she was pregnant she had been worried about it. She hadn't specifically said to me how worried she was but I knew her well enough to know she was and in the moments like these I could feel her relax in my arms and I wished we could stay like this forever.

"What time are you meeting with Kass?" Dri was the one to speak and break the silence

"Soon, I should probably get up and shower" Kass and I had plans on meeting up for lunch and it would be the first proper conversation we would have since she arrived here.

"But yet you're still lying here with me" Dri's head turned and looked at me and she had a smile on her face

"I really don't want to get up, my first day off and I had hoped I could spend it with you in bed since you're feeling better"

"But Kass is family"

"I know and it's why I want to tell her that you're pregnant" Dri pulled away from me and sat up to look at me

"You haven't told her?"

"No, I didn't know how she would react if I told her since she would believe it was someone else's"

"So you want to tell her the truth?" I nodded at her, she got off the bed and walked over to the draws to pull out some clothes and get dressed.

"Dri please talk to me about this, if you don't want me to tell Kass the truth I won't" Dri stood there for a moment not looking at me or saying anything for a few moments before she turned around.

Dri finally turned around and I was shocked, her eyes had welled up and I hated seeing her like this. "No you can tell her she's family, I just don't want everyone to know"

"She won't tell everyone else, she's only the one that knows the extent of what has happened to you and why"

Dri nodded before making her way back over to the bed and curling up in my arms, "I love you Dri"

"I love you too Nik" Dri mumbled and the way it came out worried me but I didn't say anything. We stayed like that for a few moments before I had to get up and shower.

"So Nicky" Kass spoke with a smile on her.

I had been at her apartment for a while now and we had finished eating not long after, she had been catching me up on how Lycus has been and the rest of the family. Neither one of us had spoken about our placements yet but we both knew what was coming, she was getting placed with a Moroi and I was staying at Court.

"Yes Kassi?" she narrowed her eyes at me, she hated being called Kassi as much as I hated being called Nicky

"What was it that you didn't want me to know the other day?"

"Oh that" I trailed off and her eyes went wide.

"There is something you're keeping from me, what is it?" she had a massive smile on her face, she always loved finding out information before the rest of our family.

"Dri's pregnant"

I watched as Kass was quiet for a moment, she was trying to process what I just told her. "You love her that much you're going to raise someone else's kid?"

I shook my head, "It's mine"

I almost wanted to laugh at how shock Kass was in, I knew this would be hard for some people to take and I knew I didn't exactly take the news too well and I hated myself for thinking that of Dri and I'm just grateful we had put it behind us both and we're focusing on the future.

"She's that different?" I nodded at her. "Wow, all those times you told me she was different I never would have thought this could happen"

"But you did, after mum's funeral you made a joke about how Dri could be different to give me children and then it resulted in Lycus asking for a sister so he could fight with her like we do" Kass laughed before thinking back on that day.

"I did, I can't believe it was true it was just meant to be a joke"

"I think it's because you were trying to push Lycus' attention off yourself and onto me"

"Yes well he seems to get his wish for a sister"

"If it's a girl and he isn't here anyway, is he going to stay in Greece?"

"I don't know, I will see what happens. He's happy at home and understands why I'm gone"

"I know, it's just a question"

"Who knows if I'm out here permanently I might move him out here, what's going to happen with you and Dri?"

"For now we're just trying to get through the pregnancy"

"About that, who do they think is the father?"

"One of her friends, she didn't want to tell them all she got drunk and can't remember"

"It's better than trying to convince the council you were raped" Kass looked away from me at that.

After she was raped and found out she was pregnant the council couldn't do anything for her since there was no proof of the rape. I was so worried the same thing would happen to Dri but then James came along and was able to pull the memory out and show Lissa.

"Kass"

"I'm fine Nicky. What about once the baby is born?"

"For now we're both at Court, Dri will only leave if James wants to too"

"What about you?"

"I don't want to be placed with a Moroi and they don't want to place me with a Moroi"

"They're worried the same thing is going happen again?"

"Yes, Hans said so himself and it doesn't bother me. This gives me the chance to stay here and be with Dri, it technically gives James three Guardians"

"But you just said"

"James is different though, he picked Dri so we could be together. He did it all so she would be happy and have some sort of future that she wanted, remember Dri has only been here for four years she hates that her future isn't what she wants it to be"

"James is a good friend, you aren't worried?"

"About him no, apparently he has something for one of her other friends"

"Well dear Nicky it seems as though you are getting the future you want and deserve, you really found someone special" Kass had a smile on her face as she spoke and she was right, Dri was giving the future and family I always wanted.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**In case anyone is interested I have posted a new story called 'Do You Ever Wonder How Different It Could Be?' It is a spin on this current story where Dri grew up in Adrian's care. Somethings will be different and it's given me a chance to right the things I couldn't with this story where it either didn't fit or I thought about it too late. If you are interested please read and review it so I know if it is worth continuing or not.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I know it is sad that Stefan is gone, as for the other Guardian I haven't actually put too much thought into what he is like since I don't focus a lot of attention on Millie and Stefan while they are away but as of yet nothing has happened between the two of them. Of course they will be back a fair bit but remember she is going to school over there so it's not like they can regularly come back. Never had morning sickness so I didn't know but I'm just glad I wrote it right. As for Nik going to the airport with Dri, he was looking out for her and her friends. As for Emily admitting her feelings for James, well here you go. Aw I love how you are reflecting on Dri in real life situations, I do it all the time and I've gotten really attached to her and her story and I can't just quite let her go hence why I've done another story.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. That is usually the case isn't it? Stay tuned to find out what I have planned for Dri's pregnancy, as for Stefan I know it was sad but I couldn't make Dri's life perfect and have all her friends stay could I? I know from experience that after high school you lose friends for various reasons, distance and not enough time is usually the main one.**

**MusicMeHi148**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Unfortunately I won't be writing a story from the baby is born, I would be at a complete loss of what to write with them having a child and I had enough trouble writing chapters about Dri being pregnant. But if you read the above authors note I have started a new story with a twist on this one where Dri grew up with Adrian so things will be different and things will progress in a different order.**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I don't always have time to write since sometimes I have a busy work schedule but I try to stay a couple of chapters ahead, the more I write the more I post and I try to post at least once a week but everyone has their own schedule and their own writing process.**


	109. Chapter 109

**Chapter 109**

Adrianna POV

_17 weeks_

Summer was well and truly over, everyone who isn't normally at Court had left by now leaving the people who normally lived at Court or was now a permanent resident at Court. Jeremy, Belle and Lucas had decided to attend one of the colleges in the area and I was able to see the three of them every now and then but they all stayed in a house closer to the college than at Court with their Guardians, Jeremy was being nice enough and sharing his Guardians with both Belle and Lucas when they weren't needed for him. Kass had even been placed with some Moroi that was living at Court so Nik was able to have some of his family close by and I could see the difference in him just by having Kass here.

I should technically be asleep right now but I'm not tired, today for some strange I have more energy than I previously had since finding out I was pregnant and it was strange. I could have gone for a run or done a sparring session but no one is letting me, the people close to me that know the truth are worried the smallest thing will cause problems and I guess they aren't the only ones, I'm worried as well but I hate this feeling of being useless and weak.

My doctor stated that she didn't want me to participate in any heavy exercise as we don't know the case surrounding the pregnancy, we didn't know if it would harm the baby or not and since there were no known documented cases of other pregnancies like mine I couldn't argue with her.

It was now obvious that I was pregnant, it wasn't an overly large bump that I had but it was noticeable and it was still warm that people would look at me funny if I was seen wearing baggy jumpers. Some people were curious as who the father was and what not but most people would take a simple none of your business as an answer. A lot of people knew who I was because of the whole incident with Michael but all that aside people know who I am because of Ivashkov last name and the trademark emerald green eyes, so a lot of people were curious when word spread that I was pregnant.

I leaned back on the bench and took in the sun that was that was out, I had spent so much time inside the last few weeks I had missed the fresh air as well as the sun.

"Are you alright?" I turned my head and smiled at Nik, of course he would eventually realise I wasn't in bed. He came over and took a seat beside me and I rested my head against him.

Dad wasn't happy with me moving out, well technically he wasn't happy with me moving in with Nik. If I told dad I was moving in with Emily then he wouldn't have a problem with it but because it was Nik he was being angry about it.

In fact Emily and James had been spending pretty much every night together, I don't know why they were trying to hide it but I turned up at James' suite to see him since I was incredibly bored and I walked in to find the two them kissing. This then resulted in me screaming, yelling and laughing at them. They didn't have any idea what it was, they said it was all new but I knew the two of them better and that was also three weeks ago.

"I'm fine just not tired, you didn't have to come looking for me"

"I wake up and find you missing from our bed and you're not in the apartment. I got worried and you left your phone in the apartment" Nik and I had both been given one of the actual Guardian apartments along with Emily since we were permanently living at Court while James had been given an apartment on the Moroi side of Court.

"I'm sorry, I honestly didn't mean to worry you. I just needed to get some air"

"You could have woken me up Dri"

"You need to rest for your shifts, I'm fine honestly"

"Why do I not believe that? This morning you wanted to go sparring"

"What's wrong with having energy for once?"

"Nothing but it doesn't mean you're allowed to fight, technically you are now on maternity leave"

"No normally the Court Guardians get till 25 weeks unless it's two or more babies. I've been put on early maternity leave because I'm a special case, I'm sick of being a special case" I grumbled and pulled away from him

"I know but until we know what is different we have to be careful" Nik wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close again

"I know, I just miss being active and sparring with you"

"I know I can see written across your face every time I leave to go to the gym in the mornings before my shifts"

"If you just bring me with you…"

But Nik cut me off. "No way, I don't want anything to happen to you or our baby" he placed his hand on my stomach and softly rubbed it.

"How would that happen?"

"The same way normal people lose a baby"

"But I'm not normal, I'm special Nik"

"It doesn't matter, what if this was a fluke? What if you lose the baby and we can't have another one?" I looked up at him and I hated seeing that look on his face, it was only when he was really worried about me, worried that something could go seriously wrong or I've done something that's worth worrying about.

"Alright I promise, no more exercise. I will be completely lazy even if it kills me"

"Thank you" he gave me a soft smile before giving me a soft kiss. "Come on let's go back to the apartment so I can get some sleep and you can get some rest"

"I've done nothing but rest" I grumbled in reply but he stood up and I grabbed his hand allowing him to pull me up and lead me back to the apartment.

I was currently heading back to dad's house, he had sent me this message asking if I could come over. Something about needing to talk to me about something, I don't really know his message was weird.

I ended up finding dad sitting in office with Lissa and James making me assume it was something to do with Spirit but there were two people I didn't recognise, one was a female and a Moroi while the other was a male and a dhampir

"Am I right in assuming this is Adrianna Adrian?" the female spoke while looking at me, I didn't like the way she was looking at me.

"She is, Dri this Sonya and Mikhail Tanner. Sonya is also a Spirit user"

"But I'm not a Spirit user dad, why am I here?"

"Do you want to work out what is special about your pregnancy or not?"

"Meaning you told her?"

"Yes I told her that a dhampir is the father, we can trust her Dri" Lissa spoke and I looked over at her, I can't exactly argue with Lissa.

"There's something else Dri, she isn't just a regular Spirit user. She is also a restored Strigoi" dad spoke and I looked between everyone, I hated that someone I didn't know knew the truth about my pregnancy

"How will that help me?" I looked at dad trying to keep the worry out of my voice.

"No idea but let her run the tests she wants, let her draw blood" they've done all this, why is dad letting some stranger do all of this again

"But you've done all that, you've done blood tests" I replied and dad and James shared a look at the slight anger in my voice.

"Dri let her do what wants, she could really help you" she went to take a step closer to me and I instinctively took one back.

"Adrianna I promise I won't hurt you or your baby. It's drawing blood and looking at your aura at various times, I will be comparing it to both James and Mikhail. Mikhail being a dhampir and James being a Spirit user. James hasn't been around for enough testing to know what we're doing, so he will be a test subject as well"

"Why can't you do all this on Clary?"

"Clary will be here as well, we're waiting on her" Lissa spoke and I was a little bit excited and nervous about seeing Clary, I haven't seen her in a while but I haven't told her that I was pregnant and it could affect her, I was just worried about if it got out by sending her a message.

"Why me then?"

"Because ever since you fell pregnant your aura has been different Dri, we don't know if it's just because you're pregnant or because it's a mix of both yours and the baby's auras and the baby is special like you" dad replied

"This is insane dad!" I finally snapped, I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't know this person and I sure as hell didn't trust them

"It's the only thing we haven't tried and we need multiple people to do the testing it's why we had to wait until Sonya and Mikhail could travel out here"

"Why couldn't Nik be here then, why couldn't he be the dhampir? I would be more comfortable having him here. I don't know them, I thought we all agreed to keep the truth about my pregnancy a secret"

"We did Dri, we have all done everything we can to keep the baby safe. You got Jeremy to agree to be the fake father to the public and you have done everything requested of you to stay as inactive as possible to not risk anything. Dri this is just another way to keep your baby safe, let us do this. Do you think Lissa, Adrian and myself would have agreed to this if it could risk the baby, you're family to all of us as well as the baby. We don't want to lose that baby anymore then you do. Let us do this" James had walked over and stood in front of me, all I did was nod at him but there was something in the back of my head telling me he was compelling me to agree to this.

Clary eventually turned up and we were able to get on with this thing, it involved a lot of me sitting in a chair while dad, Lissa and that Sonya lady just stared at me but no one said anything to me. Blood had even been drawn from all of us but yet no one said anything.

"Thank you" was all Sonya said before her Mikhail left dad's house, Lissa followed to show them out.

"So anything?" I looked over at dad hoping he could give me something, anything.

"Not exactly, we were able to discover differences in your aura but nothing that could help us yet"

"What did you see?"

"There is more gold then what there is in Clary but it is also more than you had the beginning of the pregnancy"

"That doesn't tell you anything does it?"

"No, I'm sorry Dri. Sonya is going to go and test the blood now, try some things we haven't. There were only so many tests we could do on your blood without the right testing and background"

"It's fine" I didn't look at dad, I looked down at my stomach and placed my hands on it and rubbed it. I didn't know what to think and I was worried.

"That's another thing we noticed, it's got nothing to do with Spirit though. Every time you did that love would flash through your aura, Dri you're doing the right thing here to protect your baby" I didn't look up at dad, I didn't even say anything in reply but I heard people leaving.

When I looked up I found only Clary left in room and she was staring at me. "What is it?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant, to another dhampir in fact? That affects me too"

"You had left Court and I didn't want to send it in a text message or over the phone"

"Alright fine, I get it we don't want people to know that can happen to us. Was it the first time you've had sex with a dhampir?"

"No it was the second, we think either the first time we were lucky or this pregnancy in general was a fluke"

"Why would you think it was a fluke?"

"Don't know a combination of things maybe, he's just worried it's a once off and if I lose the baby we won't be able to have another"

"I'm sure you will be fine, for all we know the pregnancy is normal and it's just the baby that won't be normal. What if they will be just like us, what if this is the key to rebuilding the dhampir race?"

"I know I've thought of that possibility but what will be different about my baby Clary, it's a baby born of two dhampir parents there has to be something that will be different"

"I know and we will work out, we're all on this together"

"All of us? What are you doing?"

"I didn't get placed with a Moroi, I didn't feel comfortable with it just yet but Lissa thought maybe I should follow more leads about Spirit born dhampirs"

"Have you found anything?"

"A couple of things but nothing that will help with your pregnancy, I'm sorry"

"It's fine, at least you get to do something while I'm stuck here"

"It can't be all that bad, you have friends here and obviously someone cares enough about you to stick through with the strange pregnancy"

"I'm incredibly lucky to have him, he is perfect"

"As long as you're happy after what happened to us both last year that's all I want for you" I smiled a thanks to Clary, we had been in contact since the trial. It was mostly just messages here and then and I hated that I was keeping the pregnancy from her but now she knew so it was easier for me.

"There's nothing else different from your pregnancy"

"Nope just really bad morning sickness but the doctor said it was normal"

"We will work this our Dri, I promise I'm trying on my end but you need to listen to everyone when they tell you need to rest"

"I know I'm trying but surely you would know as well as I do just how hard that is for us"

"I do but you're also the type of person who will do what it takes to protect her family Dri, look I have to go. I was only able to come out here for this meeting, I will be in touch with you Dri" Clary came over and hugged me before leaving the office.

I stayed there in dad's office just thinking over everything, dad and Lissa had told a complete stranger the truth about my pregnancy and nothing came out it. Now I was just more frustrated.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you're happy about James and Emily and I'm glad you enjoyed the scene between the two of them. As for Dri's reaction to Nik asking about Kass, this chapter will help explain it a bit more but it's more because Dri doesn't know Kass all that well. She trusts Nik and he trusts Kass but Dri doesn't know Kass well enough to trust her. Dri was hoping she could get by in the pregnancy just assuming that Kass knew and that was it but Dri doesn't think Kass is gossip, in an earlier chapter Dri learnt that Kass was Nik's Emily or Stefan. I had to put something in to fill the chapter out but I also wanted to put something in that shows how much Nik hates being called Nicky. Yes it would be good having Lycus around but at this point in time he will be staying in Greece. As for the different points of views, I'm sorry you've missed them. The rest of the story is pretty much in Dri's point of view except for two chapters, I'm focusing on Dri's pregnancy for the remainder of the story.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you thought it was adorable, I love it when I can write a chapter that is meant to be adorable and fluffy like that and people enjoy it.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad that I can make your morning, the reviews make my morning I love waking up and reading all the good reviews. Nik would have told someone he trust eventually.**

**MusicMeHi148****thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me.**


	110. Chapter 110

**Chapter 110**

Adrianna POV

_20 weeks_

The blood tests that Sonya had conducted came back just as inclusive as the ones dad and Lissa had done previously, I was still unaware of what to expect of my pregnancy but I was still worried that she knew the truth.

Rose had been the one to come and talk to me and letting me know that she could be trusted and that her and Lissa had in fact owed her more than they could imagine but she wouldn't go into details and let me know why.

I was currently out for dinner with Nik, James and Emily, we had been doing this regularly ever since James and Emily had gotten together and I was glad that James and Nik were getting along. In fact they were getting along so well that the couple of times that James had to leave the grounds and I wasn't allowed to go with him Nik had gone in my place.

I had come back from the bathroom and they were all laughing about something. "What's so funny?"

I sat back down and Nik placed his hand back on my thigh and rubbed it, I gave him a smile. James started to speak but I zoned out, I was more focused on my stomach. The feeling I had was different, it wasn't what I was used too. It felt like I had butterflies in my stomach, was this what the doctor was talking about yesterday when she said that the movement can feel like this?

I had been worried about the fact that I hadn't felt any movements yet since Ellie and Lissa said they felt fluttering in their stomach as early as 15 weeks but the doctor said it could be normal for me and I would just have to wait. My ultrasounds were normal and the baby still had a heartbeat so there wasn't anything to worry about at this point in time.

"Dri what's wrong?" I hadn't even realised that my friends had stopped talking and now they were looking at me with concern and Nik was even kneeling in front of me.

"Nothing's wrong, everything's perfect" I gave Nik a smile hoping to convince him everything was fine

"Dri" Nik spoke and I could sense a hit of the warning tone in his voice

"I promise you, everything is perfect and there is nothing wrong" I didn't want to tell Nik that our baby was moving in front of everyone in a public restaurant where he couldn't act that thrilled because they all thought it wasn't his.

People were concerned about our relationship when everyone first begun realising there was something there but Alberta was nice enough to cover for us. Nik had never told me that she had spoken to him earlier in the year about our relationship, he said he didn't want me to worry. Alberta also said she wanted to help protect this baby, she understood what it meant to have the truth about the baby out in the open and she wanted to help protect it.

In return I told her that I will attend St Vladimir's whenever she wanted to retell the novices about my kidnapping once I had given birth, as a thank you for being so accepting of our relationship while I was technically his student and for protecting the truth of my baby.

Alberta had been the one to tell the public that nothing was going on while I was his student and we were grateful but she said after everything I went through this was the last thing I needed, she saw what it did to Rose and Dimitri and she didn't want me to go through that on top of everything I had. I didn't realise she cared that much about me and the more people who said they were worried about what I could possibly go through with Nik because they saw what Rose and Dimitri went through made me wonder, how bad was it and did I really want to know?

She had also wanted to try and help Rose and Dimitri but they brought everything on themselves for what they did, Rose had chased after Dimitri when he was a Strigoi and once he was turned back he helped Rose escape when they all thought she had killed the previous Queen.

"Are you sure?"

"I promise Nik" I could tell he wasn't believing me just from the way he was looking at me but he eventually went back to his seat and I noticed James looking at me funny.

"Don't James, it's not for you" he nodded at me and then it really got Nik's attention.

"Dri what's going on?"

"I will tell you when we're at home okay?" Nik gave me a weird look but accepted my answer and we continued dinner as it was.

I had no idea if James had seen what happened or even felt my emotions, I knew that when he went through my memories he felt what I felt and if he saw what happened then he would know what I felt. Would he tell Emily or would he wait for me to tell her.

As soon as we were back in our Nik rounded on me. "What the hell happened at dinner Dri?"

"What I'm not allowed to sit down?"

"Dri please tell me what's wrong?" he walked closer to me and put a hand on my cheek.

"I told you nothing was wrong, everything is perfect"

"Then what happened?"

"The baby moved while we were at dinner, I didn't want to say it in the restaurant because you're not meant to care" I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck while his went around my waist.

"You looked panicked at dinner" Nik almost looked sceptical, I thought he would be happy by this thought, he was worried as I was when I told I hadn't felt any movements

"Because it was a weird sensation, it was a good panic"

"So our baby is moving?" he had a huge smile on his face and I all could do was nod. "If only I could feel it"

"I'm sure the baby will start kicking soon enough"

"I can't wait" he softly kissed me bringing me closer to him but the further I got along in my pregnancy the harder this became. "That's why you told James it wasn't for him"

"Yes but I have no idea if he saw it or not though, he is fascinated with my mind and I have no idea why"

"Maybe it's the Spirit in you"

"I hate that Spirit is in me"

"No you don't, because otherwise you wouldn't be pregnant right now"

"It's the only good thing about it, everything else about it has caused me so much pain" I pressed my face into the crook of his neck but all he did at first was move his hands so one was on my back and the other was on my neck.

"I know Dri but we won't let anything happen to our baby, there are so many people willing to help protect our baby"

"I know I love you"

"I love you too"

_22 weeks_

I was currently sitting in the doctor's office with Nik, the only time Nik came to my doctor's appointments was when I was able to make an appointment with the doctor that ran the DNA test.

"Are you sure you don't want to find out the sex of the baby?" I turned and looked at Nik, we had this discussion multiple times. He wanted to know the sex while I didn't.

"I don't want to know, I want the surprise when it's born and plus you said you don't want a girl so why disappoint you this early on?" I smirked at him

"It will make choosing a name so much easier though"

"What difference will it make, we can come up with both a girl and boy name"

"How do you not want to know? Most people want to know and so excited for the scan that can tell them"

"I want the surprise, aren't children meant to be full of surprises? Why would I want to ruin the first one?"

"So you aren't the bit curious at all? What if it was a girl we could buy so many pretty dresses to dress her up in" I shook my head at him, he was teasing me in hopes I would change my mind but we were both stubborn and I wasn't going to let up on this.

"Nope you're not going to make me change my mind, I don't want to know. We can buy the dresses once she's born, hell I have a feeling that if it is a girl Lissa is going to go nuts when it comes to shopping"

"So I have to wait" he frowned at me and I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Yes you have to wait" I leaned over and stroke his cheek. "It will be worth it, I promise. I want to know as well but I want to wait and find out more"

"Fine anything for you" he leaned over and kissed my forehead but he was still frowning when he pulled away and all I did in response was smile.

"Guardian Ivashkov" we both turned around saw the doctor standing there.

"Thank you again for making this appointment out of hours"

"It's fine, I understand the sensitive nature of the case. Come in and we'll see how you are coming along" we both stood up and headed back into the office.

Throughout the ultrasound Nik was quiet, he was too busy staring at the screen and listening to what the doctor was saying. Nik hadn't been able to attend many ultrasounds, it was easier that way and he hated it while I hated that he couldn't be there with me but we dealt with what we were given.

We were back at home and had gotten in bed, Nik wasn't saying anything but he had been thinking about something ever since we left the doctor's office.

"What's going through your head?" I shifted as best as I could to be able to look up at him, me being pregnant and wanting to stay in his arms made this harder.

"Baby names"

"Oh really? You want to talk about baby names?" I pulled away so I could be more comfortable and I sat up.

"Of course, don't you? Do you have any ideas with what you want to name the baby?"

"I love the name Zoey for a girl"

"Again with this whole girl thing" he pulled a face at me while I grinned

"What's wrong with that?"

"If you want a girl so bad why didn't you just ask what the sex was?"

"Do you want to know why I want to have a girl?"

"Why is that Dri?"

"Because you don't want a girl" I grinned again and he scowled, I couldn't help but laugh at him which made it even worse.

"Of course it is"

"Aw stop pouting, if you want a boy so bad why don't you pick a name then"

"What about Jenson?"

"Nah there was a senior freshman year that was too touchy feely for my liking"

"And you're only telling me this now?" he growled at me

"Oh come on, you were lucky I told you about Michael in freshman year, the only reason I told you was because you read the messages on my phone and I had no choice"

"Alright I'll take that one, so no Jenson?"

"No"

"And no Zoey, I don't like it"

"Deal what about Luke or Caroline?"

"The Moroi I beat up was named Luke"

"I did not know that"

"Well now you do Dri"

"Interesting"

"Is there anything else you could want?"

"Ella?"

"No"

"Zoella"

"Now you're making names up"

"I'm not, I swear"

"Right, anything else?"

"Not that I can think of but we have plenty of time to come up with names" I gave him another smile before curling back up beside him in the bed.

"Nik" I mumbled against his chest

"Yes Dri?" considering how quiet he was, it made me wonder if he was almost asleep

"Would you want to use a Greek name? It's your heritage"

"I've thought about it but I'm not sure, some of them don't translate into English all that well so it makes it harder to decide on one"

"Okay, are you going to keep thinking about it?"

"Of course, I'm sure we could find something that will translate properly"

"Will you teach them Greek?"

"Of course because then we can gang up on you"

"Oh come on that's not fair, if you're teaching them Greek you're teaching me Greek"

"No way"

"Oh come on, I'm not a student wanting to know how to swear at my teachers and not have them understand me"

"I knew that's why you wanted to learn" of course he knew back then why I wanted to learn Greek properly, to do this day I was still shocked at how well he knew me.

"Will you teach me Greek, I've got nothing else to do for 20 or so weeks?"

"Fine if I'm not working I will teach you Greek"

"Thank you" I put his arms tighter around me to fall asleep, the last thing I remember before falling him asleep was him softly kissing my head and saying something in Greek.

_24 weeks_

I didn't even realise I had slept for so long until I woke up and looked at the clock, Nik should have been home by now but he hadn't woken me up. I was worried, I got out of the bed and left the bedroom hoping he was just in another room.

I noticed a funny smell in the apartment and the closer I got to the kitchen the worse the smell got, it was turning my stomach and making me want to be sick. I entered the kitchen and found Nik in there cleaning up.

"What is that smell?" I put a hand over my mouth, he looked up at me in surprise almost expecting me to still be asleep.

"What do you mean what smell? By the look on your face it must be a bad one but I can't smell anything"

"That's horrible, I can't take it" I turned around and left the kitchen heading back to the bedroom knowing there was no smell in there.

"Are you alright?" Nik came up behind and wrapped his arms around me before kissing my head but the smell was on him and having him that close to me I couldn't take it. I pulled out of his arms and ran for the bathroom to throw up.

"I'll just stay over here" I looked up from where I was sitting on the bathroom floor and found him standing in the doorway almost looking hurt.

"What were you doing in the kitchen?"

"Cooking"

"That must have been what I smelt, it smelt horrible and the smell was on you. It was disgusting" he frowned, we had been told there was a chance that there would be smells that would set me off. We were both hoping it wouldn't happen considering how bad my morning sickness was.

"Then you don't want to know what I was cooking, I'm just going to go throw it out. Do you want pizza for dinner?" I stared at him, he hated ordering in for dinner considering he knew how to cook.

"What did you cook Nik"

"Baklava" I groaned in response, I loved Baklava and the fact that it was making my stomach turn upset me. "Its fine Dri, I'm going to go throw it out and then I will shower alright?" I nodded at him and he turned around and left the bathroom.

I was still on the couch when Nik returned from the bathroom after he finished showering, he walked over and I leaned forward so he could sit down behind me and I leaned back against him.

"Do I smell better now?"

"Yes, I'm sorry"

"It's fine, it's not your fault"

"I know I just can't believe I can't stomach the smell of Baklava now"

"It's fine, hopefully once your pregnancy is over you will be able to stomach it and I can teach you how to cook it" along with my Greek lessons he had also been teaching me how to cook, most of it was just basics but it was enough to give me something to do during the day since there were only so many times I could be a third wheel to James and Emily.

"I can't believe I'm over half way in my pregnancy"

"Me either" he kissed the top of my head and we fell into a comfortable silence with the T.V on

It was a few minutes later when I felt the baby kicking, it wasn't just the normal movements I felt, it was actual kicking. I grabbed Nik's hand and moved it to where the baby was kicking, I wished more than anything that I could see the look on his face. He was so excited when I told him that I felt the baby moving and he wanted to be able to feel it as well and he could.

"Is that?"

"Yes the baby is kicking"

"I can't believe it" I wanted to pull away and look at him but with the baby still kicking and his hand still being placed on my stomach I didn't want to ruin this moment for either one of us.

"Why not?"

"This makes it feel real"

"What being fat wasn't real enough for you?" I grumbled finally pulling away from him

"Dri you're not fat"

"Yeah you say that now, wait till I'm 40 weeks. I'm going to be huge" I put an emphasis on the word huge and the small smile on his face didn't help my mood, I knew he was only smiling at my mood not what I was saying.

"You'll be as beautiful as ever though" he pulled me back against him and kissed my head. He had gotten used to me snapping at him about my size, when I question him he said he thought the only reason I had such a problem with it was because I wasn't allowed to exercise.

It didn't matter if other dhampirs were still allowed to exercise in their pregnancy, my pregnancy was special and we didn't know what would happen. Could exercise affect the health of my baby, we didn't know and until we did, we agreed to not risk the health of our baby no matter how much it will frustrate me.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved it and I do hope you meant Dri instead of Rose but either way, as for the baby is special just wait and see.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Please stay tuned to find out what I have in mind for Nik and Dri's baby.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Dri is frustrated and I took what you said into thought and added it to the start of the chapter but didn't really cover it all as I didn't know what else to cover for that chapter but I didn't have Rose tell Dri what her and Lissa went through because of Lissa's Spirit, yes she knows about Victor but all the smaller things like the cutting or dead animals I didn't. I figured this was something that all the adults were keeping from Dri in hopes she didn't start worrying about James and his sanity while she was pregnant.**


	111. Chapter 111

**Chapter 111**

Adrianna POV

_31 weeks_

I was agitated, it was almost Christmas and it meant that everyone was coming home. Matt and Nate were both coming home for Christmas Break along with Jeremy, Lucas and Belle. Even though I was able to see the three of them every now it wasn't enough, it wasn't like it was last year where I was able to see them whenever I wanted. Even with Stefan all the way over the other side of the Country and Carter being in Italy it was hard, I missed them both immensely. I just hoped that the rest of my friends were able to come home for Christmas.

I was currently sitting in the apartment, Nik had to go and attend some meeting with the rest of the Guardians about the Christmas schedule leaving me alone.

I was attempting to get comfortable on the couch but it wasn't working, for the past two weeks I had been struggling to get comfortable and I knew it was just going to get worse and I wasn't looking forward to the 40 week mark.

Someone knocked on the door and I groaned while moving my head to stare at it, I hoped I could will it open but the longer I laid there starring at it the less patient the person on the other side got and they knocked again.

"Alright hang on" I yelled while attempting to get off the couch to go and answer the door and I was thrilled to find that it was my brothers on the other side.

"Holy crap you're huge" was the first thing out of Matt's mouth

"Gee thanks Matt" I grumbled before turning around and heading back inside. Him telling me I was huge was not something I wanted to hear

"I'm so sorry Dri I didn't mean it like that, I don't remember mum or Lissa being pregnant"

"Its fine I guess. What are you two doing here? I thought you got back later tonight?"

"Dad organised an earlier flight for us, something about how you might appreciate having us back"

"I do it means a lot" I hugged both my brothers.

As much as they annoyed me, I didn't realise how much I would miss them once I graduated. When I was still at St Vladimir's I was able to visit them when I wanted and now I couldn't and it sucked.

"Where's Nikolaus?" Nate questioned

"The Guardians all have a meeting why?"

"Come home with us, come play video games with us. Ellie said she'll make your favourite for dinner"

"Please Dri, you can send Nikolaus a message letting him know where you are" I looked at my brothers and they were both pouting at me and it was my hormones causing me to give in earlier than usual and I hated it.

"Alright fine just please stop looking at me like that"

"Deal" they both grinned at me as I went to grab my jacket before following them out of the apartment.

I was still playing video games with my brothers when Nik finally returned from his meetings, he walked over and gave me a kiss before taking a seat beside me and grabbing the controller from Matt and joining in.

I didn't know when it happened or how but somehow my brothers were more accepting of Nik now, normally it was Nate that handed the controller over and Matt made a huge fuss about playing with us. Maybe it was the fact that Nik was still around or that my pregnancy was now obvious I didn't know but it meant a lot to know that my brothers were now accepting of my relationship. I looked over at Matt and he gave me a smile, I gave one back and we all focused our attention back to the video game.

At some point I had given up on the game and leaned against Nik watching him play against Matt and Nate but it wasn't long until Ellie asked them to go clean their rooms, something about them being home for less than a day and their rooms were already a mess.

"How was your meeting?"

"Fine, we were just finalizing the shifts nothing special. Surely you know what Christmas break is like here"

"I do"

"What's wrong?"

"This will be the first break without Stefan here"

"It will be fine, I'm here for you as well as Emily and James. Plus it's not like you can go out and get drunk with Emily and Stefan like past years"

"Hey for all anyone knows Spirit protects the baby and I can get drunk" I grinned at him but it was only for a second, I saw the anger cross through his face and I stopped.

"Don't even think about trying that one" he growled not realising I was joking

"It was a joke, you know I won't do anything to risk this baby. As much as I hate the fact that I can't exercise I'm dealing with it because we don't know what will happen"

"I know and I appreciate it"

"You should, I'm dying from boredom"

"Well hopefully you make it through the break having your brothers around to entertain you"

"I wish you could have time off to spend with me"

"I know but Hans is letting me work as much as possible so I can have time off once the baby is born so I can be at home helping you"

"I know and I'm grateful" I shifted on the couch so I could rest my head in his lap and his hands instantly went my stomach

I had 9 weeks left of my pregnancy and I was scared, I was scared about what was going to happen to the labour or even once the baby was born. Would it be obvious that they were special or will it only be dad, James and Lissa that could tell the baby was special just like they could with me? Or will my baby be completely normal and there wasn't enough Spirit in me to pass on to the baby?

"We will be fine Dri, everything will work out in the end" Nik spoke while stroking my head. I looked up at him and I couldn't believe he knew what I was thinking.

"How did you know?"

"The same way I always know and plus, you're protectively rubbing your stomach while starring at it. I noticed you began doing it when people would question you about who the father was or anything else they could come up with"

"I'm scared Nik"

"I know Dri I am as well"

"Oh the big scary Greek Guardian is afraid of something?" I teased with a small smile on my face and he shook his head, I noticed the frustration in his eyes and knew it wasn't the right time.

"Don't mock me Dri" he warned me and I accepted it

"Sorry but why are you scared?"

"Because everything aside in 9 weeks I'm going to become a father, I'm scared because of how much everything will change and then there is everything we don't know because of the Spirit that is in you"

"What if the baby is completely different? What if everyone will know that there is no way that Jeremy is the father like we've been telling everyone?"

"We won't know until the baby is born and we will deal with it then, I've already promised you this Dri. I'm not going to leave you once the baby is born, I will be there for you through everything. We have a family on the way and a future wide open for us" he smiled before leaning over and kissing me.

I leaned up and wrapped my arms around his neck while the kiss deepened, there was a cough behind causing the two of us to pull apart and to find dad standing there.

"Didn't realise you would be joining us for dinner"

"Matt and Nate bugged me to come over"

"I see, I'm glad you're here Dri" dad gave me a smile before leaving the room.

"Your hormones are going to get us in trouble one day" I grinned at him but he was right. My hormones were raging a war inside me, apart from my mood constantly flipping between happy and sad, anger and joy there was also the increased hormones wanting to constantly have sex with him, which he had no problem with unless we were in public.

"They might not" I winked at him and leaned away from him so he could get up before helping me up and leading the way to the kitchen for dinner.

It was the following morning and Nik and I were still lying in bed, he had the day off and I was grateful. Nik was finally able to attend another one of my doctor's appointments that I had today.

"So my doctor's appointment is just after lunch"

"Oh crap is that today?" I looked at him, I was shocked he had forgotten the appointment.

"Yes, I've told you this before and you say I'm forgetful" it was true, I was always forgetting things. Whether it was my phone or my keys or even information.

"I'm so sorry Dri I can't, James has to leave Court today and he asked if I could go with him"

"Oh I didn't know James had to leave, where is he going?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask"

"Maybe I should ask him"

"No don't worry about it, it will be fine we won't be gone for long"

"When do you have to leave?"

"Soon, I was literally about to get up and have a shower"

"Oh…"

"I'm sorry, if I had remembered about your doctor's appointment I would have organised something else"

"It's fine, you go shower and then go meet up with James"

"Dri…"

"What?" I snapped at him, he wrapped his arm tighter around me and pulled me closer to him.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I would give anything to be able to attend every single one of your appointments but I can't and I know, I stuffed up today but there is nothing I can do about it now. It's too late of notice to ask another Guardian to take my spot"

"Whatever, just go shower" I pulled away from him and rolled over with the idea of getting some more sleep

"I really am sorry, I will come find you as soon as I'm back though" I felt him press his lips into my hair before getting out of the bed and going into the bathroom.

I had made this appointment specifically so he could come again, I saw how much he enjoyed the last appointment and I wanted to see that enjoyment on his face again but now that he couldn't come, I didn't even want to go now but I had too.

"Please don't be mad at me" Nik spoke when he came back out of the bathroom, I rolled over to face him and noticed he was shirtless.

"Are you hoping me seeing you shirtless will change my mind?" I saw the smirk on his face

"I really am sorry, I hate that I'm missing this appointment and I hate that I can't attend every single one like I want too. I would give anything to be able to go with you but I promised James that I would go with him today"

"It's so hard to make these appointments so you can come"

"I know, I promise next time I will come with you"

"Maybe next time I won't bother going through the effort to make an appointment you can attend"

"Dri don't be like this"

"Whatever, just go meet James" I put a pillow over my face as my eyes welled up.

I heard Nik walking around in the bedroom before I felt the bed dip beside me and it wasn't long before the pillow was pulled away.

"I love you so much Dri, you and our unborn baby mean the world to me" he placed a hand on my stomach before leaning over and kissing my forehead. When I didn't say anything I could see the trouble on his face, I knew he wanted to stay and make sure I was fine but he had to go and meet James.

He removed his hand from my stomach and stroked my cheek before getting up and leaving.

I was currently at my doctor's appointment waiting for the doctor, as usual when these appointments were made so Nik could attend no one was here but her and a couple of nurses who were too focused on whatever task they were doing to notice someone caring more than they should.

"How are you feeling Adrianna?"

"Good considering everything that's going on"

"Very well, where is Nikolaus?"

"He had guardian duties to attend too, the appointment slipped his mind"

"Ahh I see, alright lay down and we'll take a look shell we?" I laid back on the table but before we could get anywhere a nurse came and grabbed the doctor's attention.

"I will be back in a sec Adrianna" I looked over at the nurse and the look on her face scared me, what was going on.

The doctor returned a few minutes later and what he said scared me. "I'm sorry Adrianna but something has come up but I will be with you shortly just sit still" I nodded at the doctor and they turned to leave.

Now I was really worried, what the hell was going on and what the hell was Nik getting up to with James today?

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. How could I write a story and not have Sonya and Mikahel? Dri's bloodwork won't show anything but a future chapter will explain the differences. I'm glad you thought the love flashing through Dri's aura when she rubs her tummy was beautiful. Yes, pretty much a chapter full of fluff. I wanted to show the improved friendship between Nik, James and Emily as it helps with this chapter. I do want James to pretty much have three Guardians with Dri and Nik rotating between themselves to protect him and their regular shifts at Court. As for the baby and having Spirit in their blood, wait and see.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. It's why I put it in, I wanted to show the beginning of a running argument between the two of them about what sex they want but it is also crucial to a future chapter as to why I didn't let you all know what the sex is.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. It's fine I can understand that sometimes people's lives get the better of them, like me for example I have to be up in like 8 hours for work but yet I'm editing and replying to reviews and posting so everyone can read the next chapter since I'm not getting the chance to reply every day anymore. But I'm glad you liked the chapter, I know. I had to make mention about Dri not being able to stomach something and that was it that would upset her since she enjoyed it so much but it will come again in a future chapter. Exactly they didn't want Dri to worry about James on top of her pregnancy concerns.**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. No it's fine I understand, I've had it happen a couple of times and it makes sense because most stories have Rose and Dimitri as the main characters and too be honest. I didn't think story would be as big as it is without the two of them being main characters. I love your ideas for baby names, I have actually already named the baby hence why I'm curious as to if anyone can guess it but there is still a couple of chapters left to keep guessing!**


	112. Chapter 112

**Chapter 112**

Nikolaus POV

I hated leaving Dri like that, I really wish I could have told her what we were planning for today but I couldn't. I wanted to see the look on her face when I surprised her with what we were doing and what made it all worse was that I actually forgot about her doctor's appointment.

"She won't be mad forever" I looked over at James, of course he was in my mind. Dri wasn't the only person he was fascinated with, he was also fascinated with my mind and I hated it but he had backed off recently, something which I give Emily thanks for.

"I'm missing an ultrasound to do this James"

"I know and we both know how happy it will make Dri to see Stefan" it was true, Dri had no idea that Stefan was coming out here for Christmas with Millie.

"Sorry I'm late I was just double checking the flight to make sure it's running on time" Emily spoke as she climbed into the backseat.

"It's fine, let's go then" I spoke as I pulled the car out of the garage

We made the rest of the way to the airport with Emily and James talking about various things and I stayed pretty much silent, well until they started talking about the baby again. I don't know how or when it happened but I had become pretty close to both James and Emily.

Being at Court I had made friends with other Guardians but it was a little harder thanks to my relationship with Dri but either way I still had a small number of friends but James and I had become close and I was grateful for the friendship he was giving me.

"So what sex do you think the baby will be Nik?" Emily questioned

"No idea, I will be happy either way considering I never thought I would get the chance to have a family"

"That is true, I know Dri wants a girl" I laughed at Emily's comment

"That's only because I once made the mistake of telling her I didn't want a girl"

"Why is that?" James question obviously never realising what it would mean for him to have a daughter

"James if you and Emily had kids and one was a girl how would you react when she started dating" his face paled and I laughed again. "Exactly"

"You're right, no girls for any of us. I have a feeling we will be involved in this baby's life, so yes you and Dri will be having a boy" this time Emily laughed at James comment but only shortly, she quickly shut up and when I looked at her in the rear view mirror she didn't look right. I figure she would talk to Dri about it later.

"Can you see the sex? I know Adrian made reference one time to being able to tell that Ellie was having boys but what about you?"

"No I can't see it, every time I try and focus on the baby all I see is gold. Spirit is protecting the baby, I'm surprised the doctor could find the baby for the ultrasound"

"Maybe magic can't protrude magic but machines can"

"Maybe" James shrugged and the conversation went quiet the rest of the way to the airport.

We were currently standing around waiting for Stefan and Millie to appear, I know Emily would have been distracted and I didn't blame her but it was dark and there was a chance we could be attacked, I was grateful the airport was practically empty at this point and I was able to keep an eye on things myself. When I heard Emily squeal I turned my heard to find her running towards where I saw Stefan and Millie walking with Brendon.

I let them all have their moment before walking over. "No Dri?" Stefan spoke looking a little hurt.

"We're surprising her and no one wants her to leave the protection of the wards" I replied and he seemed to have remembered why.

"That's fair, I just wish she could have been here as well"

"I know and she will kill me when she finds out that I kept this from her but it will be worth it, come on we should head back" I grabbed all their attention and we headed out to the car

The car ride back to Court was silent on mine and Brendon's part, it was mostly catch up with Emily, James, Millie and Stefan.

It wasn't until we were at the gates that I was worried, no one was there. "Be quiet" I snapped and they all shut up and Emily and Stefan put their attention elsewhere, I knew Brendon noticed the gates as soon as I did.

"Where are the Guards?" James spoke finally noticing what I did

"I don't know and that's what worries me" I locked the doors and carefully drove through the gates watching the grounds hoping to spot something out of ordinary.

We didn't spot anything on the way to the garage to park the car and when we left there was still nothing in site.

"Come on, if something is going on we will find out information from Rose and Dimitri" I led them all to where Lissa lived knowing that they would either be there or at least Lissa would and she would be able to tell me what was going on.

I was worried about Dri and just hoped she would be safe where ever she was, I couldn't ring her because if for some reason she didn't know what was going on I didn't want to worry her or chances were she didn't have her phone on her.

"There you are Nikolaus, where's Dri?" Lissa spoke as soon as we entered her house, there was Guardians everywhere but I couldn't spot Rose or Dimitri

"What do you means where's Dri? I haven't been here, we've been off grounds and we come back to find no Guards at the gate"

"Oh…there was an attack. Word is they are after Dri" I didn't know what was said next, I walked off pulling out my phone hoping more than anything that Dri didn't forget it today, she had a habit of forgetting things.

"Pick up, please pick up Dri" I whispered to myself but when she didn't I punched the wall hoping Lissa didn't care about the hole. I hoped more than anything that Dri would be safe wherever she was and she had just forgotten her phone.

"Nikolaus where is Dri?" I turned around at the sound of Adrian's voice, I didn't know how he was going to react to this or if he would blame me.

"I honestly don't know, I was hoping you or someone else would"

"No I've got no clue, she didn't say anything to me. Where have you been?"

"James needed to leave the grounds so I went with him, I've been taking Dri's place with him while she's pregnant" Adrian shook his head before pulling out his own phone to try and ring her. "She won't answer"

"Why?"

"She most likely left it at home, she's always forgetting things, the only thing she doesn't forget is her doctor's appointments…that's it she had a doctor's appointment"

"You should go check the hospital"

"I will, why are they after Dri?"

"Word got to them that she was pregnant"

"But to everyone they think the baby is normal, the baby will only be special because Dri is special"

"Clary's missing, she didn't meet her last check in deadline"

"She can't be missing" I knew then and there that this would kill Dri knowing something happened to Clary, there was a connection between the two of them because of what they had in common and I was glad that Dri had someone to talk to about her concerns about everything.

"Nikolaus she is the only one that knows the truth that we haven't spoken too, we got a hold of Carter's Moroi and he's fine. We just saw Stefan and Millie and everyone else has been here at Court, Clary is the only one we can't contact"

"Damn it" I took off running for the hospital hoping more than anything that Dri was still in there, safe and protected and having no idea that the Strigoi now knew she was pregnant and it was mine.

The closer I got to the hospital the worse the destruction was, there were bodies on the ground, most of which were Strigoi with some Guardians here and then and I was devastated to spot one Moroi in the mix.

I finally made it to the hospital and was pleased to see they hadn't made it this far, they were stopped before they could. I just hoped Dri was inside, I didn't even stop at the reception desk and ask the nurse I just kept going to where I knew Dri was having her appointments. I walked in and was so grateful to find Dri sitting there on the bed, she looked up at me in shock but I didn't say anything. I just walked over and kissed her.

"I was so worried" I spoke when I pulled away and I sat down next to her on the bed.

"What's going on?"

"There was an attack"

"Of course and the hospital has their own inbuilt silent alarm but why didn't you ring?"

"I tried too but you must have left your phone at home" Dri felt her pockets and her face dropped.

"I'm so sorry"

"It's fine, you've been forgetting things. It's normal in pregnancies, the doctor said so"

"Is everyone alright? Who were they after?"

"Everyone is fine" I knew she meant family. "There are a couple of Guardians dead plus one Moroi that I saw. Have you had your ultrasound yet?"

"No, who were they after?"

"You or more so you and our baby"

"Why?" I barely heard her and she looked so hurt and scared that all I could do was wrap my arms around her.

As much as I loved that Dri was giving me the family I never thought I would get and I hated that there was so many worries we had about this baby, what it would mean for our race once it was born. We thought we had done our job by protecting the baby and the truth that I was the real father but with the news out what was going to happen now?

Adrianna POV

I woke up to the sounds of someone having a conversation in the doorway to the bedroom. Not long after Nik told me about the attack and that I was the reason behind the attack the doctor returned for my ultrasound. The baby was fine, I was just stressed and needed to rest. So we came back to the apartment and I curled up in our bed in his arms while he made phone calls letting everyone know I was fine.

I struggled to roll over but when I did I found Nik and Kass standing there. "Kass what are you doing here?" I hadn't seen Kass for a couple of months, her Moroi decided to fly out last minute and they haven't come back since. I hadn't even heard that she was going to be visiting for Christmas break.

"My Moroi made last minute plans to come out here" if her and Nik weren't related I wouldn't have been able to see the same signs of hurt and anger that Nik always tries to hide.

"What happened?"

"They were killed in the attack Dri"

"Oh Kass I'm so sorry, I can't imagine what that feels like"

"Thank you, how are you feeling? Nicky was saying that the doctor said you were stressed and needed to rest"

"Better now thank you"

"Good now tell me everything" Kass grinned at Nik before pushing him out of the room and closing the door before coming and joining me on the bed.

When Kass and I finally emerged from the bedroom after I told her how I was going in my pregnancy, it was different talking to her about my pregnancy. I know I've spoken to both Emily and Stefan's mums about dhampirs pregnancies but this was different and I didn't know how to explain it. But when I entered the living I stopped in shock.

Stefan was sitting on the couch talking with the rest of my friends, the only person missing was Carter but still Stefan was here and I missed him so much.

"Oh come on Dri, I wouldn't have change as much as you have" Stefan laughed at me before standing up and walking over to me to hug me.

"What are you doing here?"

"Millie wanted to spend Christmas with James since her parents are in Europe"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I told them hoping they would pass on the message" I looked over at Nik and he had a smile on his face.

"This is what you were doing with James?"

"It was, we wanted to surprise you"

"Thank you" I gave Nik a smile before looping my arm with Stefan's and he led me towards the couch where I began catching up with him and Millie.

It was later that night and I was in bed watching Nik get ready for bed, I finally had the chance to ask Nik how he knew that the Strigoi were after me.

"How did you know that they were after me?"

"They were able to get some information out of the Strigoi before they killed it, they found out you were pregnant and it wasn't a normal pregnancy"

"How?"

"Clary's missing, turns out the Strigoi also said she was dead but we don't know what the truth is" I stared at him, she couldn't be dead. She was the only one who understood the struggles I've gone through and what will go through because we are the same.

"She can't be" my voice broke and Nik rushed over to the bed to put his arms around me.

"I'm so sorry Dri but until we hear from her, we don't know what to think. We need to do damage control here, we need to make sure that the public don't find out about the truth of this pregnancy"

I didn't say anything, I just put my hands on my stomach. I didn't want people to come after my baby, I wanted to keep my baby safe. Nik placed his hand on top of mine before kissing my head.

"We will keep our baby safe, we will be able to protect them"

"If Clary's dead and the Strigoi know the truth how long will it be till they get me?"

"They won't, I won't let them"

"You won't be able to protect me all the time Nik"

"No but I will try my hardest and for the next 9 weeks you can't leave Court"

I didn't say anything else, I just stayed there in Nik's arms worrying about what could happen.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. As for what is going on, this chapter explained it. Hopefully it cleared up your confusion.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are still enjoying it!**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. As you can see nothing happened to James and Nikolaus, but everything that happened just caused her stress levels to increase and not cause early labour.**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad what I put in chapter 109 was still able to surprise you with information. I know everyone hates a cliff hanger but it wasn't that bad…**

**Brookletp**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Nik did forget and he hates that he forgot but he hoped surprising her with Stefan would be enough to make up for it. Nothing had happened to the three of them, although the doctor did have to attend to something to do with the attack.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes it is so close, I can't believe how far my story has gotten in the time since I first came up with the idea but anyway! Yes Matt and Nate turned up to convince her to spend the day with them, I always planned for her brothers to be accepting of Nik they just needed to see some commitment and to them him still being around is enough but Adrian needs something more. Even in this chapter you can see Nik's worry about how Adrian is going to react. Dri will be fine after some rest and Nik was vague on purpose, he didn't want to ruin the surprise for her.**


	113. Chapter 113

**Chapter 113**

Adrianna POV

_31 weeks_

I woke up and realised Nik was missing from the bed, after the attack dad had insisted I had moved back in at home so Ellie could keep an eye on my along with Matt and Nate while Nik was doing his shifts but I just hated being fussed over like that.

I headed downstairs and found Nik in dad's office with everyone that was considered family minus Matt and Nate. I stood there staring at them as none of them had noticed me enter the room.

"We need to move her somewhere safer" dad spoke and everyone looked at him.

"Where Adrian? Where will she be safe?" Rose questioned but I had no idea what was going on, were they really planning on shipping me off somewhere.

"If you're talking about moving me somewhere to be safer you're an all insane" I spoke and they all turned around, surprised at seeing me there.

"I thought you were resting Dri" Nik spoke giving me a look, it was the 'I should have done as I was told and stay off my feet'.

"Yeah well you are all planning on shipping me off somewhere I don't at least get a say?"

"Dri just because we might have killed all the Strigoi that entered the grounds doesn't mean others will know the truth" Dimitri spoke and I shook my head.

"Fine answer this then, where the hell will I go be going. Something tells me you all want it to be a ward property but yet none around here, if I have to leave that involves leaving the wards which no one wants and if for some reason you all agree for me to drive somewhere what if more Strigoi are staking out the Entrance Gates? Also all of this aside and you decide to send me to another warded property it won't work since I'm not allowed to fly anywhere now" I raised an eyebrow at them and they all shared a look, I guess they didn't exactly think this through

"Dri we want you to be safe" Nik looked at me with the same worried expression he's had permanently attached to his face since finding me in the hospital yesterday.

"I know, I want my baby to be safe but until Clary is found or heard from we have no idea what I'm expecting but we also know there is no way in hell I'm leaving the safety of these wards" I spoke sternly before turning around and leaving not wanting to here anymore about this topic.

_33 weeks_

There was still no word from Clary making us believe that she was in fact dead. We were trying to readjust everything Court after the loss of our Guardians. I was lucky that the information from the Strigoi was kept to a minimum and not many people had found the truth of my pregnancy

Christmas had been and gone and it was hard to believe that 12 months ago Nik was struggling with the loss of his mother, dad and I weren't talking because he grounded me for the most bogus reason ever but I look back now and know he did it out of love.

"There you are sweetie" I turned around at the sound of Lissa's voice. I was currently standing in the spare bedroom of the apartment, it was going to be the baby's room but we hadn't done anything yet with it. The room still had white walls and no baby furniture.

"I am, what are you doing here?"

"I've got a surprise for you, come with me and don't forget to grab a jacket it's cold outside"

We were half way across Court's ground when I was getting annoyed, I had no idea what was going on. "Lissa where are we going, I'm 7 months pregnant"

"Come on you will enjoy this, I promise"

"I'm meant to be meeting with my friends though"

"It will be fine, come on sweetie"

We were silent after that, I didn't know what else to say. I didn't know what to expect from Lissa with this surprise, as usual she went overboard with Christmas presents so I didn't expect anymore. It wasn't until we stopped in front of one of the houses situated here that I was confused.

"What are we doing here?"

"This is the surprise" she held out a set of keys for me and I stared at her.

"You're giving me a house?"

"Well no, technically I'm giving you, Nikolaus and your unborn baby a house. The three of you can't live in that apartment forever, that spare bedroom isn't even big enough for a baby and all the stuff needed so a house is needed. I also happen to know that the house next door is in James' name, when and if he ever moves in you will be next door and won't have to worry about him as much as you currently do"

"But this is too much, you've done so much already"

"I haven't done anything and plus we're all so excited about this baby, come on there is one more surprise needed"

"There's more?" she didn't say anything but headed up the stairs to the front door.

She still didn't say anything as she walked up another set of stairs, I silently followed her taking in the house. Of course it would be furnished, my family wouldn't have given me a house that wasn't. She opened a door and stood there waiting for me, I looked in the room and I couldn't help myself. Tears rolled down my face at the sight of the room.

It was what I assumed would be the baby's room, there was a crib, changing table and a rocking chair in the corner, draws that were most likely filled with clothes and the room was painted a pale yellow since we didn't know the sex of the baby.

"Lissa this is amazing, how?"

"Ever since I found out you were pregnant, I wanted to do this for you. You need to have a house, families deserve to have a proper home. The guys spent the last few days painting the room"

"I mentioned to Nik that I wanted the baby to have a yellow room"

"I know he picked the colour Dri"

"He knew about this?"

"He did, I wanted to make sure he was alright with this. You're family and used to us all going over the top but he isn't"

"I still can't believe this" I walked over to the draws and opening them hoping to look at some of the clothes Lissa had brought, I've bought some things in the past few months but not much. I was disappointed to see that they were empty.

"Not for long, come on" Lissa then turned around and left. I was getting sick of this, I needed to sit my feet were hurting

When Lissa finally stopped there was so many people sitting in there and when I looked at the decorations and I realised that this was my baby shower, now I know what Lissa meant by not for long.

"I need to sit" was all I said and they laughed at me.

I walked over and took a seat on the couch and it was then I noticed all the present on the table, my friends and family had gone over the top. Emily was here with both Belle and Millie, Ellie, Rose, Kass and Jill were all here as well. It was small but it didn't bother me, they were family to me and that's what mattered.

Emily smiled at me as she stood up and made her way to another table before coming back with a jar in her hand.

"Alright so the first thing we should do is read through everyone's guesses on what the sex will be, we had even gotten the guys to make their guesses and added them to the list" I knew straight away that they would have all said boy. Both dad and Dimitri had both said they didn't want me to have a girl, they didn't want to worry about boys breaking her heart but I knew Nik had gotten to them.

Emily began reading out the guesses and in the end boy was in the lead, some people said that it looked like I was having a boy. Ellie in particular has said this before, something about my bump looking similar to hers and she had boys but when I looked at everyone that had children, they all had boys so they didn't know any different.

By the time everyone left I was exhausted and needed a nap, I was right when I thought that everyone had gone over the top and they did. Aside from the small amount of gender neutral clothes that Rose, Lissa and Ellie had given me they had also paid for everything in the baby's room and I was so grateful. Emily had even contacted Sarah and Amelia and they had sent presents as well as a present from Carter, he had organised to have this massive stuffed toy dog sent here since I had said on numerous occasions how I always wanted to dog back at school.

"How are you feeling?" I looked up at Rose and gave her a smile. She came over and sat down beside me, I assumed everyone else that hadn't left it was cleaning up in the kitchen

"Exhausted and grateful, I can't believe you all did this. You, Ellie and Lissa went overboard"

"Well technically Lissa and Ellie went overboard, Dimitri and I paid for the crib and some clothes"

"Yeah I get it, shitty Guardian pays"

"Exactly and you know as well as I do that Lissa and Ellie will go overboard again once the baby is born and everyone knows the sex"

"I know and that is what I'm worried about, we don't need this. We will be fine"

"Dri you're not working and you're both living off Nikolaus' guardian salary"

"We're not, Rose I inherited money from my mum's family. We will be fine without you all go overboard with the baby"

"I know, Adrian told me but I didn't want you to know that I knew"

"That seems fair"

"Does Nikolaus know?"

"Yes, he was there when I got everything in the wills. Dad wouldn't let me go alone, so either him or Shane had to come with me"

"Makes sense, who is the giant dog from?"

"Carter, I used talk about how I wanted a dog. He figured this was the best he could do"

"I know the rest of your friends will be here when you go into labour especially Stefan considering how excited Millie seems to be"

"I know right, I can't believe the girl I barely know is thrilled about this"

"Emily is thrilled as well"

"I know but I think a part of her is slightly scared"

"Why is that?"

"Her and James are getting serious, she's seen everything I've been through and are still going through. She knows that if the two of them have kids their kids will be like me, I think she's scared of what could happen"

"Have you spoken to her?"

"Not yet, I was planning too today but then I got dragged here by Lissa"

"Ahh I see, how about I go get her and then you two can talk?"

"Thanks Rose" Rose gave me a hug before heading off towards wherever everyone else was and it wasn't long before Emily came over and threw herself down beside me.

"You wanted to talk?"

"I did, are you alright? I know you and I know you being this thrilled is a little put on, you're hiding something"

She looked at me before leaning against me and grabbing my hand, this was what gave it away that it was serious, she needed the comfort. "I'm scared Dri"

"About what Em?"

"My relationship with James"

"How come? Don't tell you're concerned he's going to cheat on you"

"No of course not, it's not that. It's more I'm scared for a possible future I could have with him, everything you've been through makes me think our children could go through with that"

"I know I'm scared too, I'm scared for what my baby will have to go through but Nik and everyone else keeps reassuring me that we will keep the truth a secret as well as protect them. The same goes for you, you have to know that"

"It's preventing me from moving forward with him though, I'm scared he's going to ask for more and I'm going to say no because I'm scared of what could happen"

"Have you spoken to him about this?"

"No but he probably knows it already"

"Talk to him, maybe he's scared as well. You've only been dating a couple of months, I doubt he is planning on proposing anytime soon"

"But what about moving in together? We practically live together anyway"

"You know the house next door is in his name?"

"I did, he told me when I told him about the baby shower"

"Emily I seriously doubt he is going to ask you to move in with him into the house. Maybe the apartment first since you are both living in one, he's not even living in the house"

"I know but I'm still scared. How did you know it was right to move in with Nikolaus?"

"It felt right and just like you two we were practically living together anyway so instead of each taking a single apartment we applied for a double with the idea of giving the baby the spare room"

"What about marriage, have you two spoken about it?"

"We have once but it wasn't a proper conversation, I freaked and he said he understood why I freaked considering my age. He's thought about it but I haven't"

"How do you know he has?"

"He told me since he's older he has, but I've also heard a conversation between him and dad when they thought I was asleep"

"Would you want to marry him?"

"One day, Em where is this all coming from?"

Emily was silent and it worried me, we never kept secrets before and to think that if this was something she couldn't tell me I was worried how bad it was. "I think I'm in love with him and I'm trying to work it out"

"Aw that's so cute but you need to work that out on your own"

"How did you do it?"

"Once I heard him say it, it felt right for me to say it back. I knew what I felt for him was different to what I felt with Jeremy, he gave me everything I wanted. Oh the best way to explain it is in a letter my mum left for me. When I have the chance I will give it to you"

"That would be great, look I have to get going. I'm meant to meet up with James"

"Alright have fun and talk to him, he most likely has the same concerns. He's been there for me through everything just like you"

"I'll see what happens, thanks again Dri" I gave her a hug and then she left. I had no idea if anyone was still here and I knew I had to take everything upstairs but right now I needed to rest.

Just as I laid down on the couch and closed my eyes I heard a door open and close in the distant and then various sets of steps. One came closer to me while the rest went elsewhere, when they stopped I opened my eyes to find Nik smiling at me.

"What?"

"Nothing, I thought you were asleep"

"I was trying but you disturbed me"

"I'm sure I did, how was the baby shower"

"Good I can't believe how much stuff we got considering we don't know the sex of the baby, speaking of which how come you didn't tell me about the house"

"You said yourself you like surprises, why ruin them?" he smirked and I frowned at him, he laughed before walking around and before lifting my feet and taking a seat beside me on the couch.

"Seriously, why didn't you tell me?"

"Dri I've seen you a couple of times in the spare room, I'd wake up and find you missing from the bed. I would get up and find you standing in there, I wanted to do this for you. I knew you would be so happy at having this and actually having enough room for the baby"

"I know but they've all done so much, this whole house is furnished Nik"

"Actually your dad organised to have some of the furniture from your mother and grandparents' house shipped out here, if you noticed there is also photos of them around the house"

"Oh I didn't notice"

"Of course you didn't" he smiled at me before leaning over and giving me a kiss

"Alright I'm going to take this upstairs" Nik looked over at the presents before looking back at me. "Which one of your friends gave us the giant dog?" I laughed at him, he had heard more often than anyone my want for a normal life which included a dog.

"Carter"

"I see, do you at least like it?"

"I do actually, it's perfect" I grinned and he shook his head, we both knew the giant stuffed dog would have no use until the baby was older but I didn't care.

"Very well, you get some rest and I'll cart all of this upstairs" he kissed my forehead and I watched as he bagged everything up before heading upstairs.

It was a couple of nights later, I shivered and pulled my jacket closer around me, I shouldn't be outside in the middle of winter. I should have been inside but right now being surrounded by people was the last thing I wanted, we still hadn't heard from Clary and I was worried. I didn't want her to be dead, I wanted her to be here for me in the weird way no one else could be.

Someone placed a blanket around my shoulders and I hung my head, I didn't want to deal with this. "What's wrong? You haven't come out here since it started getting cold" Nik spoke as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple.

He was right, I was currently sitting in the small court yard he had shown me earlier on in my pregnancy. It was light out making it warmer than it would be during our normal day but it was still cold either way.

"I just wanted some space"

"We have this massive house for just the two of us, that isn't enough space for us?" not long after the baby shower everything had been moved from the apartment into the house.

"It won't be two for long" I rubbed my stomach, I was due in six weeks and I couldn't believe how close it was now.

"I know but what is going through your head right now?"

"Did you know Lindsay was here over break?"

"What happened?"

"I was saying goodbye to Matt and Nate, turns out Lindsay is friends some of the Moroi that live here and she came here with them over the break. She saw me at the landing strip and made this big scene about how I was a blood whore and I went back to Jeremy and it would be my own fault if he cheated on me again and all this other stuff"

"I don't know why you let the stuff Lindsay says to you get to you"

"Because I'm 34 weeks pregnant and hormonal" I snapped at him but all he did was pull me closer before kissing my head.

"I know and I can't wait for our baby to be here"

"You just want my mood swings to go away" I grumbled but it just caused him to kiss my head again

"That too but not the point, you shouldn't let her get to you. We know the truth and that's all that matters" I didn't say anything I just leaned against him hoping more than anything that he will let us stay out here a bit longer.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story!**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes Stefan and Millie are back but not much action from the two of them. As for anything has happened well…just wait and see. As for Clary, just keep reading. Yes Kass will be staying at Court for the time being, her Moroi might not have been the one that died since Nik didn't recognise them but the bodies that Nik saw weren't necessarily all the dead bodies. They will be checking the wards more often now as well.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes stupid Strigoi always ruining everything and I'm glad I was able to clear up your confusion!**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I couldn't have done that, it would have been too much for Dri. But as for Clary and Dri's stress levels stay tuned. As for sending Dri and Nikolaus somewhere, this chapter cleared it up.**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are enjoying and think it's getting good.**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Yes the Strigoi know but as for the extent of how many know, that is completely unknown. As for moving Dri somewhere safer, there really isn't anywhere that won't involve putting her in danger in the process of moving between places.**


	114. Chapter 114

**Chapter 114**

Stefan POV

I walked into the living room and found Millie sprawled on the floor in hysterics at whatever was happening on the TV.

I had always found Millie beautiful, it was what drew me in to get to know her at that party before senior year, I had even seen her when she was all dressed up for the various royal events we had to attend but the moment I found her the most beautiful was moments like these. She lying on the floor acting like something that wouldn't be considered a royal, her hair was a mess and she wasn't trying to impress anyone. I had quickly learnt that it was in moments like these that she let down the walls she had built up to protect herself in the eye of the public and in this moment I couldn't take my eyes off her.

Back at St Vladimir's there were many times that both Dri and Emily joked that I would meet some girl that would make me change my ways. I had never suspected it to be Millie, I had changed my ways to impress her, I wanted to prove to her that I could be different and I wouldn't be like all the other guys who said they could change but couldn't.

It was only a month ago that I realised what I was feeling towards Millie was something for more than friendship but I hadn't said anything in fear that she didn't feel the same. I didn't want the girl I changed for to break my heart.

Me laughing caused her to look in my direction and grin at me, aside from me falling for her I was surprised at well we got along. She reminded me of Emily and Dri very much and I could see just how it was so easy for James to slide into our friendship group because of this fact.

Millie was sneaky and deceptive and had this devilish side to her that I found incredibly attractive, she kept me on my toes and that was always something I wanted in a girl but it wasn't something I ever thought I would find in a Moroi, a royal Moroi at that.

"Don't laugh at me Miles or I will ship you back to Court"

"You wouldn't, you miss me too much" I winked at her before walking over and joining her on the floor. "What's so funny?"

"Oh I wouldn't miss you, actually maybe I will leave you here while I head back to Court"

"You wouldn't do such a thing, James will disown you for leaving me here"

"He would be thrilled" I starred at her before noticing the mischievous smirk on her face

"You're teasing me" I frowned at her

"Aw but it's so much fun" she cooed

I didn't say anything but kept frowning at her, when she realised that I wasn't going to say anything she reached over and placed a hand on my cheek before hovering her head above mine.

"Don't be like this, it was just a bit of fun" she whispered, I couldn't help myself when I leaned up and pressed my lips against hers.

I couldn't believe my luck when she begun kissing me back, I honestly did not expect this to happen when I decided to kiss her. I expected her to pull away or even slap me if I really crossed a boundary but this, definitely not this.

Millie eventually pulled away and I didn't know what to expect but all she did was mutter something about this not being right before getting up and running away from me.

I didn't know what to do, I didn't know if should follow her or give her the space she needed. As much as I wanted to follow her and make sure she was alright, there was something telling me that I shouldn't follow her.

I laid there on the floor staring at the TV not being able to remember the last time I stayed still like this for who knows how long when I eventually heard a quiet voice. "You didn't follow me" I turned my head and found Millie standing there.

I had seen both Emily and Dri cry on countless occasions and each time my heart broke, they were my best friends, the sisters I had never. The countless occasions I wanted to hurt the people who made them cry, hell on occasion I did hurt them. But now seeing Millie cry this and having a feeling this was partly my fault made me feel even worse.

"I didn't know if you wanted me too, I figured it was safer to stay in here"

"Why did you kiss me?" I watched as she moved closer and took a seat on the floor making sure there was plenty of space between us.

"Why would anyone kiss someone?"

"You've kissed plenty of people" I noticed the criticizing tone to her voice and wasn't happy with it.

"Yes you've reminded me on numerous occasions about _my past_" I snapped back at her before getting up and walking past her to leave the room not wanting to hear any more about how she hated how I was during my time at school.

Millie grabbed my arm as I walked past her and I looked at her and for once she actually looked sorry for what she said. "I'm sorry alright, I didn't mean to hurt you with my comments but I've been led on by guys like that in the past and I ended up with a broken heart"

"I'm not like that anymore, my job protecting you means more to me than that. I was like that in school because I knew what my future held for me but I sure as hell didn't expect it to be with you, someone who is constantly judging me for my past" I hissed at her and instantly regretted it by noticing the hurt look on her face and as her eyes welled up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that"

"No you're right I have been judging you but not the way you think. Yes I hate that you were like that but there are moments when I wish I could have been as carefree as you in school because I can't be like that now"

"Then why weren't you?"

"My parents, they expected me to behave and keep up my grades"

"Something tells me you didn't exactly behave in school"

"I just know how to not get caught" she smirked at me and I was glad to see she was in a much better mood.

Neither of us said anything else as we heard the front door open, it didn't take long for Brendon to join us in the living room. He took one look at us before bidding us goodnight and heading upstairs to his own room.

I had nothing against the guy, he was just too into his job for my liking. He didn't know how to relax and the only reason he took today off was because Millie ordered him too as well as ordering him to leave the house for once aside from classes.

I said goodnight to Millie before heading up to my own room and make a start on the homework I had, it was my turn to stay up for the night and make sure no one broke into the house. It was harder being on a human schedule due to Millie's education but we dealt with what we could. We found a house that was two stories and had a second hidden staircase built in the back as a precaution, when it was someone's turn to stay up during the night we stayed out in the hallway. It allowed us to keep an eye on the main staircase as well as give us access to both the bedrooms.

It had been two days since I kissed Millie and neither of us had said anything about the kiss and it was starting to bug me, I wanted to say something to her but I didn't know where to even begin. I know I could have called either Dri or Emily for their help but I didn't for a couple of reasons, one I knew they both had their own issues, Dri was worried about her baby and she was due to give birth any day now and Emily had her own concerns when it came to her relationship with James and two I didn't want to tell them that I had fallen for Millie. I knew how they both were and I knew exactly how they would react to something like this and Dri was incredibly hormonal right now and things would be so much worse off for me then if she wasn't pregnant.

I entered the studying and found Millie bent over the desk furiously writing something down and I was surprised her glasses had stayed on her nose, they had slipped all the way down.

"We need to talk" I didn't move from the doorway and I watched as her shoulders slumped before she finally looked up at me.

"About what exactly?"

"That kiss"

"What kiss Stefan?" I eyed her and I couldn't believe she pretending like that kiss never happened

"Are you seriously kidding me right, you can't be acting like that never happened. You know exactly what kiss I'm talking about" Millie placed her fingers on her temple before groaning in frustration.

"Nothing can ever happen between us"

"Why because I'm a dhampir and you're a royal Moroi, glad to know what you really think"

"No, you're my Guardian"

"Don't you think I would be more willing to protect someone I care deeply about?"

"It doesn't work that way, you know it won't work"

"Why? Emily and James seem to be getting along just fine and you know it"

"They live at Court, it's different. They're protected, Emily's allowed to let her guard down and be herself with James"

"Yes because Court can't get attacked like that" I snapped at her and she lowered her eyes.

We had both been there to witness the look on Nik's face when he was told that Strigoi had broken into Court and Dri was missing. For once in all the time I had known him his Guardian mask wasn't on, his face was full of emotion, ones that were showing how scared, angry, worried and annoyed he was at the situation.

"Fine but we are more likely to get attacked here then they are at Court"

"We're in California, it's too hot and too sunny for Strigoi. I swear it's even too hot for you" the only upside to being away from my friends was the fact that it was always warm and I loved it but I was worried about Millie, she told me that being a fire user she was able to handle the heat better than most Moroi and I left it at that not questioning her anymore but I did keep an eye on her just in case.

"Stef"

"Don't Millie, I want it. I want all of it. I want the pointless bickering, the long walks, the late night talks, I want cute pictures with you, to hold your hand, to make food for you, to call you baby. The joking, the wrestling, the fights, the long how we feel messages after we makeup. I want to be those inseparable best friend couples that people are like 'you're still together?' That's what I want. With you" I looked at Millie and for the first time since I can remember I was displaying my emotions to someone that wasn't Emily or Dri.

Millie didn't say anything, she just sat there shocked at what I just said and I just hoped it didn't bite me in the ass. I didn't like being vulnerable like this, my heart on the line waiting to be either broken or accepted as it is.

Millie eventually stood up from her seat and walked around the desk before stopping standing in front of me. "What took you so long?" was all she said and I was shock, I didn't even react at first when she placed her arms around my neck and kissed me.

I eventually wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer to me. "I'm sorry for taking so long" I spoke as I pulled away

"You are such a goofball Stef"

"Hopefully I'm your goofball" I leaned down to kiss her again, hoping that all of this was a good sign.

**A/N: Thank you to who everyone who has read, followed and reviewed my story**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I've already told you but I'm glad my update made your morning better and that you enjoyed the previous chapter.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved the previous chapter and thought the whole house thing was cute but it's true a family does need a house. As for the baby wait and see**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter.**


	115. Chapter 115

**Chapter 115**

Adrianna POV

_39 weeks_

All I can say is how much I cannot wait until this baby was out of me, I'm incredibly uncomfortable and having trouble sleeping. It didn't matter how much Nik tried to reassure me that it will be fine and I need to stop stressing it wouldn't help but we think stress is something I don't have to worry about.

Over the last few weeks my stress levels have been through the roof and my vitals showed that, the doctor was worried about me being sent into early labour but whenever they checked on the baby everything fine. It was something that made us believe that maybe Spirit was protecting the baby, making it possible for me to make it full term.

I was currently sitting in the baby's room in the rocking chair, it turns out it was a gift from Nik's family. It was stunning and I couldn't wait until I could sit on it with my precious baby in my hands while I rocked in the chair but what shocked me was when Nik said that it was his mother's, his grandmother wanted him to have it saying it was only right for him to have it.

"Everything alright Dri?" I looked up at Nik and gave him a smile and my smile grew even more at the sight of what he was wearing.

For some strange reason he had dressed up, normally when he had finished his Guardian shifts he came home, showered and put on sweatpants and a jumper before joining me on the couch. Now he was in a pair of jeans and a nice shirt.

"Why so dressed up?"

"You really have no idea what date today is do you?"

"Nope all I know is I have a couple of days left of my pregnancy and I cannot wait"

"I know, I'm excited too Dri"

"Not just that, I will be comfortable again. I forgot what it feels like to be comfortable, I will be able to see my feet again and I can start exercising again and sparring, oh man have I missed sparring with you"

"I've missed sparring with you too, having you pinned to the floor with my body tightly pressed against yours. I can't think of anything better" he teased me but I believe there was also something else he was getting at

"I can" I grinned at him

"Sex? No I have other plans for tonight. Why don't you go shower and get dressed"

"Do I have to be as nicely dressed as you are?"

"It would be nice but whatever you want Dri" I was confused as he turned around and left the room, I sat there for another second or two before getting up and heading towards the bathroom so I could shower.

Once I was finished in the shower and dressed in a dress that didn't make me feel worse than I already did I headed downstairs and found Nik sitting in the living room and the space looked so much like our first date last year where he surprised me after the court session about my kidnapping. Ever since graduating Nik had done many things like this to surprise me and I loved every single one of them.

"Happy Valentine's day Dri" he had a smile on his face at the sight of me, I did something special for him by doing my hair and putting on some make up and the smile on his face made everything perfect.

I couldn't believe it was Valentine's day, the one we shared together last year was hard. I wanted more than anything to do something as a couple with him but it was the during field experience, I was lucky it was a Sunday and I was able to stick to the gym and hoped he would come by.

"Why aren't you with your friends?" I spun around at the sound of his voice and I found him leaning against the wall with a smile on his face.

"It's Sunday, I don't have to be with my friends"

"No but I can also imagine how much you are missing Emily"

"You're right I am missing Emily, but I'm missing you more" it was then I noticed the bruise along his jawline. "What happened there?"

"It's field experience Dri, I'm bound to have some cuts and bruises" I frowned at him but walked over to him

"Don't frown and for the record I've missed you too" Nikolaus whispered the last part and I stepped as close as I could to him pressing my body against his

"Do you know what today is?"

"It's Sunday Dri, we've established that" he had a smirk on his face and I knew he was messing with me.

"It's Valentine's day"

"Oh that, is that all?"

"Yes that is all, does that mean anything to you?"

"Nope"

"Oh" I looked away from him and took a step back

"To me it is just another day that I get to spend with you Dri, every day that I get to spend with you is special and I will cherish that. So to me Valentine's day doesn't mean anything" he had a smile on his face and I could see so much love in his eyes.

"Is it meant to be this hard with us?"

"It's only because you're still my student once you graduate it will be easier"

"But won't everyone question our relationship?"

"Most likely but as long as our friends and family trust and believe us or are willing to help us who cares what everyone else thinks"

"What if we get in trouble and they spilt us up"

"We will worry about it if it comes to that"

"Alright, I trust you"

"Good now close your eyes"

"Why?" I did as he asked and I was a little curious about what he was getting at.

"Here, happy Valentine's day" I felt him press his lips against mine before I opened my eyes.

I smiled at him before noticing that he had a box of chocolates in his hands.

"Aw thank you" I took the box from him wanting to give him another kiss but I knew one was pushing it.

"I know it isn't much but it's hard, next year I promise we will do something much better than this. No training"

"At least I got to spend the day with you, it would be worse if it hadn't of been a Sunday"

"I know, I'll talk to you later Dri" he gave me a smile before leaving me alone in the gym.

"Everything alright Dri?" Nik's voice pulled me out of my memories and I looked up and smiled at him

"Perfect, just remembering Valentine's day last year"

"Ah yes and the promise I made to make this one better but with you about to give birth any day it's a little hard. I thought maybe a night in with pizza and ice cream would be what you would want, plus this" he turned around and picked up a box from the table and handed it to me.

I grabbed it and opened it, I was speechless. The necklace was absolutely breathtaking, it was a simple chain with a small sun charm. I looked up at him still not knowing what to say.

"Since you love sitting out in the sun so much"

"It's perfect and beautiful but you didn't have to do this"

"I did, after everything you've done the last 9 months this is nothing"

"I've done nothing but sit there and complain about what I can't do"

"Dri you've grown my child inside of you, something I never thought I would get. You have given me the best thing in the world"

"I never thought I would be able to have a family with you, this is just as much for me as it is for you. You don't have to make it up to me, now where is this pizza" I grinned at him

"It's over here and you aren't putting ice cream on the pizza again"

"Oh come on that was one time" I frowned but walked over to where the pizza was

Some of my cravings had been incredibly weird, there was one night where I wanted to put ice cream on the pizza and throughout every single one of my cravings Nik had been there to give them to me no matter how weird they were.

Well nearly every single time, there was one night a couple of weeks ago that I was craving vegemite and he was unable to get it for me. It almost ended up in a fight until he reminded me that he had no idea where to find it, I didn't either. It's why we didn't have it in the cupboards, it's why I rarely ate it now but I did miss it.

"That wasn't the only weird craving you had, what about that night you woke me up in the middle of night so I could make baklava. You didn't even care when I told you it would make you want to throw up, you made this big deal about me having to make it. The only reason you apologised was because you did up throwing up"

"Oh I completely forgot about that, I'm so sorry" I couldn't believe I actually forgot about that, I remember the _almost_ argument we had because I was so set on him making it and he was so set on making sure I wasn't sick because of it.

"It's fine, I understand. I actually ate some of it once you went back to sleep anyway" he smirked before leaning over to give me a kiss.

"You know we still haven't decided on a name"

"This would be so much easier if you had just given in asked what the sex of the baby was" this was a regular occurrence between us.

Every time we tried to talk about names it would end up here, him trying to convince me to find out what the sex was but I was too stubborn and wouldn't budge. I wanted the surprise and joy of when the baby was born and the doctor said what the sex was.

"But it doesn't mean we still can't decide on a name, you've shut down everything I've suggested but won't come up with your own"

"Fine we will have this discussion, only because we have to have it eventually" I knew he was still disappointed that we didn't find out the sex but he stuck by my decision and didn't go behind my back and ask the doctor.

It took us hours to finally agree on two names, one for a boy and one for a girl but in the end we were both happy with our decisions. It took forever, we had even gotten up from the couch and moved to the office and looked up names on the internet for new ideas.

"Are you happy now Dri?"

"I am, I just can't believe it took this long for us to actually think of these names"

"We would have got there eventually, come on let's get you into bed. You look exhausted" he stood up and held his hands out for me. I grabbed them and allowed him to help me up from the couch we had moved back too.

"I think you're the one that's exhausted, you have worked every day for almost a month now. When are you going to take a day off?"

"Don't start on this again Dri, I told you why I'm working so much"

"I know but it's pointless, you're running yourself into the ground. You won't be of any use when you're exhausted from working so much"

"I don't spend all the time guarding, Hans has put me in the office to do some paperwork on the days I should be getting off"

"It doesn't matter! You shouldn't be working this much, you need to rest"

"Dri"

"Don't Nikolaus and I can get up the stairs myself" I snapped at him and headed up the stairs.

It wasn't until I was half way up that I stopped, maybe I did need his help but I didn't want to turn around and tell him I needed his help. I didn't want him to be right about this, I knew he needed to rest I could tell he was exhausted and it was only going to get worse. It was then I felt a wet sensation down my legs that I was worried.

"Nik…" I said with worry filling my voice, I wanted to turn around but I was too scare I was going to slip on the stairs but when I didn't hear him say anything or even move that my worry increased. "Nik please say something, I'm too scared to turn around in case I slip"

I finally heard him rush up the stairs and when he stopped beside me, "I'm sorry I was shocked"

"You're shocked! I'm the one that now has to push a baby out of my vagina"

"Come on, let's get you changed and then we can go to the hospital" he put his arm around my waist and guided me up the stairs to get changed.

Nik had managed to drive us to the hospital in record time, my contractions had started in the car and my god were they painful. My screaming had caused Nik to get distracted for a moment, I was lucky he didn't lose control of the car.

"What do you mean I can't have any drugs? Everyone gets drugs, why can't I?" I starred at my doctor, Nik had asked when they administer the drugs but their response was I wasn't getting any

"Because of the special case surrounding this pregnancy, I'm sorry Adrianna. You aren't far enough along yet to start pushing, I will come back and check on you later"

As soon as the doctor left the room I turned and glared at Nik, all he did was let out a sigh. "You did this to me and I can't have drugs"

"You will be fine Dri, you're tough. I will be here for you the whole process"

"This is insane how are drugs going to affect the baby?"

"I don't know Dri but please calm down, think about the baby. The perfect healthy baby that we have done so much for to protect"

"You've done, you've done nothing!"

"Are you kidding me? I've had to ignore how everyone is talking about how you got pregnant to an Ozera. I've had to hide the fact that I'm incredibly excited to become a father in public because this isn't meant to be my baby. I've given up everyone believing that this child is mine!" he yelled at me and I stared at him while my eyes welled up.

How did I not know this was bothering him that much, did we really do the right thing by telling everyone that Jeremy was the father or should we have told them that Nik was the father and dealt with the fall out because of it?

"Dri I'm so sorry" he walked over and sat next to me on the bed

"Did we do the right thing by not telling everyone you were the father?"

"We did it to protect our baby Dri, I didn't mean to yell at you. Yes I'm frustrated that I can't tell anyone but the people who matter most to us know the truth and our baby will definitely know the truth about who their father is"

"I didn't know you felt all of that" tears escaped and started running down my cheeks and Nik cupped my face and wiped them away with his thumbs.

"It's fine, I honestly didn't mean for it to come out that way"

"Maybe we should tell everyone"

"No, we agreed it would be safer this way. If I had a problem with it, I wouldn't have agreed. Now I'm going to out and make some calls and let your family know what's happening, I will be back"

It had been hours since we arrived at the hospital and I wasn't getting anywhere, the doctor kept saying how I wasn't far enough long before leaving the room. The longer I was stuck here the worse my frustration got.

Nik had said that everyone was out in the waiting room but no one else was allowed in. It was in this moment that more than anything I wished my mum was still alive, I wanted her to be here for this. I wanted my mum to be a part of the life I had been given but it was then I realised something.

"Wait Nik" he was about to leave but he stopped and turned to face me.

"What is it?"

"My mum, she died giving birth to me. What if the same thing happens to me?" he looked at me for a moment before walking over to the bed and kissing my forehead.

"Dri it won't happen, the doctor hasn't said anything about it. Your mother must have had some warning about what could happen since she wrote all your letters, everything will be fine I promise"

"But"

"No buts Dri, everything will be fine. Look I know we've argued a bit more than usual today but I love you so much and I cannot wait until our baby is here, whether it is a boy or a girl. We are finally getting the future we deserve to have" he kissed my forehead again before leaving the room.

It was a couple of hours later when the doctor finally said it was time to push, I was already exhausted from being awake for so long and in pain from the contractions I wasn't ready to start pushing, I wasn't ready for any of this.

"Come on push Adrianna, you can do this" the doctor spoke but I couldn't, I was absolutely exhausted

"I can't, I can't push anymore" I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes

"Dri, you can do this. How many times did you tell me that you couldn't run anymore but I kept pushing you only for you to realise that you could keep going. This is exactly the same" Nik spoke softly while brushing my hair out of my face

"But I'm exhausted"

"I know Dri, please keep pushing. Think about the baby, our baby. What do you want a girl or a boy?"

"I want a girl and it's not because you don't want one. I want a girl so I can do all the things with her that I never got to do with my mum" I opened my eyes and looked up at Nik and all I could see was pity.

He was silent for a moment but once the pity from his face was gone he spoke. "Then keep pushing because if it is a girl you won't get that if you don't push"

I looked over at the doctor and nodded, giving them the signal that I was ready to start pushing again but it meant everything once I heard my baby scream letting me know it was out. I collapsed back against the bed and Nik moved in beside me, I looked up at him and smiled and he kissed my head.

"Congratulations, you have a healthy baby…"

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and setting alerts for my story! I know I'm sorry, I know how much you all hate cliff hangers but I can assure you this is the very last one due to the next chapter being the epilogue. There will be a time jump and we can see what everyone has been up to between now and then. This is also the last time everyone can take guesses what they think the baby's name is, I will tell you all this. I have seen the right name just the wrong combinations.**

**Please tell me what you think will happen to everyone? Emily and James, what will happen to Stefan, Jeremy, Belle and Lucas and will Carter stay away in Italy with his Moroi? Do you think Dri and Nikolaus will have another child, do you think Emily and James will have children?**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you are happy for Stefan, I wanted to give all my characters a happy ending.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you enjoy the last chapter and found it sweet, I really did want to throw in a bit of fluff like that after the attack at Court. As for how James will react, well you won't see it but I can't see him being happy about it since he knows exactly what Stefan was like in school.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked it even though it wasn't about Dri or Nik, a few chapters back when I first mentioned Stefan and Millie being paired together a few people commented about how it would be cute for them together and I thought why not give them what they want but we won't get to see them make their relationship work unfortunately.**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I already spoke to you about your slip up but again still funny as I'm reading it!**

**Gabergirl**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you loved the chapter so much, I'm glad you thought Stefan and Millie were cute.**


	116. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Adrianna POV

"Mummy!" I heard the squeal before I felt the thud on the bed, I rolled over and took in the sight of my beautiful angel.

"Ashleigh you have been spending too much time with your uncles Matt and Nate"

"But Kostas is crying" she complained and she was right, I could just hear him in the background but it didn't last for long.

"And that is what your dad is for"

"Ashleigh Athena Anastas, I thought I told you to stay in the kitchen and finish your breakfast so your mother could sleep a little longer" I still to this day loved the sound of the Greek accent that belonged to my husband. I rolled over a bit more and found Nik leaning against the door frame.

The day Nik proposed I was incredibly happy and I was even more thrilled when we finally got married but at the time I couldn't believe how much planning went into the proposal, I know the truth now, in fact it was just a coincidence and it seemed like the right time.

_4 years ago_

Nik and I were currently at St Vladimir's giving a talk to the senior novice class. We were requested to speak about what happened when I was kidnapped, I still had problems with what happened back then but at least now I was able to have Nik standing beside me while we told the story it made the whole situation a bit better.

"How did I know I would find you out here?" I turned around at the sound of Nik's voice, I gave him a smile but didn't say anything instead I turned back and looked across the grounds while he came and sat down next to me.

I was sitting in the same clearing that we would regularly sit in and talk when I snuck out of my dorm room during the night either because I wanted to talk or I just wanted to sit in the sun.

"Everything alright Dri?"

"Yeah everything's fine just couldn't sleep"

"Are you alright after talking about what happened today?"

"I'm fine, you worry too much" I leaned against him and he wrapped an arm around me

"I have reasons too, any particular reason you're sitting in this clearing?"

"What I can't remember all the fond moments we had here?"

"Never said that Dri"

"I remember when you first found me out here"

"Oh yeah that was also the same night when I pinned you to the floor and you freaked out"

"I did indeed, tell me why did you agree to take my sessions?"

"I was curious about you, there was something different about you and I wanted to know why you wanted to join in. I still believe to this day that if your upbringing had been different you wouldn't have joined in, you wanted to be able to defend yourself because of everything that happened with Michael"

"Maybe, I guess we will never know"

"You know I love you right? Both you and Ashleigh"

"No, you're only tell me this now" I looked up at him and smirked but he shook his head before giving me a kiss.

"Seriously Dri"

"Yes I know you love me, the fact that you stayed around long enough for me to convince you that Ashleigh is yours and the way you treat her is enough to know you love her"

"I'm the first person to admit I've made mistakes but the two mistakes I will never ever change are the ones that lead me to you. I made the mistake of beating up the Moroi and getting placed here and giving me the chance to meet you. My next mistake was letting myself get close to you, it allowed me to fall for you and in return you have given me the greatest gift of all. Your love and our wonderful daughter who I now can't imagine my life without. Adrianna will you marry me?" I stared at him as he pulled a box out of his pocket and I still couldn't speak when I saw the ring. It was a white gold band with a heart shaped diamond.

All I could manage was a nod before I lead over and kissed him.

"So that's a yes?" he spoke when he pulled away.

"Of course it's a yes, I want nothing more than to marry you" I couldn't get rid of the smile even if I wanted too.

_Present_

"I'm sorry daddy" Ashleigh had turned around on the bed but I could just imagine the face she was pulling at him, Nik hated it when she learnt that the face would soften him up. Nik could never say no to her, or even me for that matter and that was how we ended up with two beautiful children.

Ashleigh was now six and she had inherited my emerald green eyes, both of our olive complexions and for some strange reason she had blonde hair but it wasn't until I looked at photos of my mum when she was younger that I discovered where the blonde hair had come from. Four years after Ashleigh was born we had a second child name Kostas James Anastas, we named him after James because we were grateful. James was the one that was secretly pushing us together, he knew we were perfect for each other and he wanted to see us happy, together. Kostas was two and inherited my chestnut brown hair, our olive complexion and Nik's brown eyes with the gold flecks in one eye.

_6 years ago_

"Congratulations you have a healthy baby girl" the doctor gave us both a smile as she handed our baby over.

"We have a girl Nik"

"Just like you wanted Dri, you will be able to do all the things you want to with her"

"What will be her name?" my doctor spoke gaining both of our attentions.

"Ashleigh Athena Anastas" she nodded before walking away.

"Anastas?" Nik questioned but I didn't look up at him, I couldn't pull my gaze away from Ashleigh

"She's yours"

"But everything we did to protect her though"

"We're dating, it would be weird if you didn't raise her as your own"

"You're delusion but whatever you want" he laughed before pressing his lips against my hair.

_Present_

Nik was right 6 years ago when Ashleigh was born though, people were questioning what her last name since we didn't tell anyone, only the people who knew the truth about her knew what her last name was. It won't be until she starts school in a couple of weeks that everyone will realise what the truth was.

I smiled at Nik as I watched the internal struggle he was having. He looked over at me and I grinned, I knew he hated me for telling Ashleigh how to exactly soften him up. We both knew there would come a day when Ashleigh did something seriously wrong and he would able to say no and punish her but for now most of what she did was basic, her not putting her toys away, waking her brother up or even not staying in the kitchen like she was asked.

Nik eventually walked over to the bed and kissed her head. "It's fine, go finish your breakfast"

Once she was out of the room he turned to me and I did not like the look he was giving me. "You're teaching her bad habits Dri"

"I am not, I believe it's all Matt and Nate. Maybe I should stop asking those two to babysit" he shook his head but leaned over to kiss me.

"Good morning beautiful"

"Now that is how I prefer to be woken up" I smiled at him while keeping my arms wrapped around his neck pulling him closer on the bed.

"I am sorry for her waking you up though, I tried to keep her in the kitchen but I go to the bathroom for two seconds and Kostas starts crying"

"It's fine, the same thing happens when you do night shift. We knew what was going to happen _again_ when we decided to try and have Kostas"

_3 years ago_

"Is she finally asleep?" I spoke when I noticed Nik had finally returned. Ashleigh had refused to go sleep, we both knew that she would be cranky tomorrow but nothing we tried was working she just wouldn't sleep.

"Yes, finally. It's like she's a new born again with the whole not sleeping. What is with that?"

"I've got no idea, maybe it's Spirit. You know what I'm like" we never thought of that connection to Spirit as to why I was awake a lot during the night, we always just assumed it was because I grew up in the daylight and hated the change.

"Maybe" Nik climbed in the bed beside me and I curled up in his arms.

"I want another one" my comment caused Nik to cough like he had choked on something, I twisted in his arms and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry what did you just say?"

"I said I want another baby Nik"

"Why is that?"

"I was an only child, I hated not having siblings" I pulled away and looked at him, he looked alarmed at my idea and I didn't know why.

"We don't even know if you can fall pregnant again"

"But yet we're using condoms anyway"

"You really want another baby?" I couldn't believe how alarmed he was, I didn't think this would be problem. I thought having a family was something he wanted.

"Yes, I do. I love you and Ashleigh, I want to expand our family"

"You seriously want another baby?"

"Yes don't you?"

"Dri we barely have enough time looking after Ashleigh around our schedules"

"You didn't answer my question Nik"

"Yes I would love to have another child with you but"

"No buts, we can do this. You said you want another one, please Nik" I pouted at him and I slowly watched as he caved, he leaned forward and kissed me.

_Present_

My pregnancy with Kostas was a little different to when I was pregnant with Ashleigh, I was given a bit more leeway meaning I was allowed to exercise to an extent and I didn't go on maternity leave as early but we were still unsure as to what could go wrong.

The only thing we thought might be different about my pregnancies due to the Spirit in me was my horrible morning sickness where I just wanted to stay in bed all day long, feeling the babies movements at a later stage in the pregnancy and no matter how hard James, Lissa and dad tried they could not see the sex of the baby, all they could see was gold whenever they focused on the baby.

Until I had a pregnancy that was different to those two it was all we could go on as to how to warn Ashleigh and anyone else who would end up being different like me.

"Why is Kostas asleep still?"

"He wouldn't fall asleep last night"

"The same issue we had with Ashleigh?"

"I'm not sure, he just kept saying mumma over and over. I think he just wanted you"

"Maybe, maybe he loves me more then you" I grinned at him and he shook his head. We knew they both loved us equally but since Ashleigh liked to throw out the 'I love mummy more' whenever Nik wouldn't give her what she wanted. He knew she didn't mean it but it was still enough to make him cave.

"Hmm" I heard come from him before he leaned over and pressed his lips against mine.

We laid like that for a couple of minutes kissing and I was honestly surprised Ashleigh hadn't come and interrupted us.

"Daddy aunt Emily and uncle Jaime are at the front door" at the sound of Ashleigh's voice Nik pulled away and softly kissed my forehead before getting off the bed and allowing her to drag him out of the room.

Emily and James had ended up getting married not long after Nik and myself, it was a shock to most people but to me and the rest of my friends we could see it coming. Ashleigh was the only person that could get away with calling James Jaime, it all started because they were babysitting Ashleigh one day and James' mum came around to visit and she was calling him Jaime and Ashleigh liked it, no matter how hard James tried Ashleigh wouldn't stop

I tried to go back to sleep back it wasn't long before I felt someone lay down on the bed beside me, I opened my eyes and found Emily there.

"I'm trying to sleep"

"Oh come on you and I both know you can't sleep when you have children" Emily and James did in fact have children. They had a four year old boy named Oliver and a two year girl named Alexandria. Both dad and James said both Oliver and Alexandria had the small amount of gold present in their auras that was also in mine.

We had no idea if Ashleigh and Kostas would have any special abilities about them like I had but we did know they would have something at one point because they also had the gold present in their auras. I was worried for their safety, I didn't want them to go through what I did because someone wanted my blood but Nik reassured me that we would protect them.

It wouldn't be until they were older that we would be able to find out exactly what was different about them but for now, we just waited and tried to see any signs as to what could be different. Looking at them they looked exactly like any other dhampir would, it wasn't until a Spirit user looked at their auras that they knew they were different.

_5 years ago_

"This room is fancy" I spoke as I took in the room.

I was currently in one of the rooms of the royal building, apparently it was also the room they had been hiding all of their Spirit research. Dad, Lissa and James were currently sitting at the table not even paying attention to me, they had asked me to come and join then since I was now the focus of their studies, well Ashleigh as well now.

From day one it was obvious to them all that she was going to be different like me but we still didn't know just how different I was, at the moment the only thing that had been confirmed was that I could conceive with other dhampirs but at this point we were unsure as to if it was a once off or if I will be able to fall pregnant again so Nik and I were being careful for the time being.

"Just sit down Dri" dad spoke but didn't even look up at me.

"Oh come on, I'm not usually allowed in here why can't I take a look? Half of this concerns me"

"Because we have what we need here, we've been able to find some things that lead to us believing that there may have been more dhampirs like you in the past"

"Fine, fine. What have you found then? Because I would like to know if anyone will come after my daughter" I walked over and joined them at the table.

"Nothing, we haven't heard already from Clary" my heart broke at the sound of her name, to this day I still couldn't believe she was dead.

Dad was trying to get Eliza released from jail on compassionate leave but without the proof of Clary's body it was hard and there was only so much Lissa could do without compromising her position as Queen and we understood.

"Dri are you alright?"

"Yeah I just miss Clary, this was easier when I had her around. She was like me and understood what it meant to work out why we were different"

"Dri we want to be able to protect both you and Ashleigh, especially Ashleigh. We don't want her to grow up in fear"

"I know, alright what are we doing?"

"We start with the basics, we start with blood tests and then we work on other things. Work out what is exactly special and then maybe you can go on hunting trips, we need to know if you do change the effect of the silver stake" I stared at dad, there was no way in hell I was bringing Ashleigh out of the protective wards.

It was bad enough that the Strigoi knew about me, I did not want them to know about her. "I'm not bringing Ashleigh with me"

"I never said that Dri, you can leave her here with us and go off with Rose, Dimitri and Nik"

"We'll see what happens"

_Present_

Over the years we did learn that some things were different with me, we learnt that I was able to get pregnant with a dhampir and there weren't anything that was the same between when both Ashleigh and Kostas were conceived, different times of the moon, different times of the year. The only thing we could find the same was that Nik was the father of both and it was enough for us to know for certain that I could fall pregnant as easy as a Moroi.

We also learnt that I did slightly change the effect of a silver stake when used on a Strigoi, since graduating I've now killed 5 Strigoi and Nik has killed an extra two since he hasn't always come on my so called hunting trips but I wasn't able to use a silver stake charmed with Spirit to the same extent dad, Lissa or James could by restoring a Strigoi to their original state and it was believed to be because I didn't have enough Spirit in me.

When the truth came out about Kostas and Ashleigh people begun realising just how different I was but yet no one has realised my children are both different like me and that was the way I wanted it.

"I worked the nightshift last night Em" I groaned pulling the pillow over my head

"Ahh, too bad. We're all coming over today or did you forget that? Come on we haven't seen Stefan or Millie for months" Stefan and Millie were still living in California and as much as we all missed them, we knew they wouldn't move back out here.

"Yes but aren't they getting here this afternoon?"

"James wants to go pick them up from the airport, they couldn't get a flight straight into Court"

"How do those two never get flights straight into Court?"

"No idea but they don't care about going to the local human airport, I think we have to leave soon something about their flight being changed"

"Are you kidding me, it's mean I have to go to and I've had barely any sleep"

"I'll drive"

"That's not the point Em, I'm going to have a word with him" I climbed out of bed and headed towards the kitchen where I assumed James was with Nik.

I was glad when the two of them had become close, it meant there was nothing weird between the four of us when we spent time together and it regularly happened since we were all we had left of our friends from school at Court. Belle and Lucas had both moved out and gone back to where they grew up themselves, we had slowly over time lost contact with Belle and Lucas. We were still friends but we weren't anywhere near as close, we all believed it was due to us all keeping the secret of my relationship with Nik from them. Jeremy on the other hand had been traveling with his Guardians since he graduated from College not wanting to start working yet.

I entered the kitchen and found the two of them talking about something while Ashleigh was finishing her breakfast. "Good morning sweetie" I walked over and kissed Ashleigh's head it was then I noticed what she had for breakfast.

"How did you convince daddy to give you vegemite toast?" I looked over at him and he didn't look happy. He didn't like the fact that I had gotten Ashleigh hooked on the stuff but he would not let me give it to Kostas but one morning Ashleigh had given him some anyway and he spat it out making Nik incredibly happy.

"The same way you convince him to buy it all the time" she smiled at me as I walked over to where the two guys were leaning against the counter.

"Where are Oliver and Alexandria?"

"Mum has them for the day"

Not long after it was determined that James and Emily would be permanently living at Court James' parents had come out here as well, they had nothing keeping them in their old town and James was an only child. James didn't care because it meant his mum was up for babysitting whenever he needed someone.

Along with James, Emily and my own family we had more than enough people willing to babysit for us when it was needed.

"Yes because you want to go and pick up Stef and Millie from the airport"

"Yep"

"Do you know what I did last night?"

"Well I could assume but I'm not going to say it in front of the little ears" he had a smirk on his face and Nik laughed with him but the glare I quickly shot them both shut them up.

"You're idiot but no I worked, all night. I was only asleep for an hour or two before you and Emily got here"

"I didn't know Dri"

"Dri, it's fine I will go with them and you stay here with Ashleigh and Kostas" I looked at Nik, he couldn't do this he was meant to be working.

"Aren't you meant to be working today though?"

"It's fine Dri, I'm sure either Rose or Dimitri can take the shift. You aren't up for going to the airport when you could get attacked"

"What I don't get is why James can't stay here and we send the Court guardians to go pick them up like normal people that are visiting"

"Someone's cranky, maybe she should go back to bed" I picked up the tea towel and threw it at James while narrowing my eyes.

"Dri go back to sleep, we will work it out and then when you wake up later Stefan and Millie will be here"

"Fine, does anything know when Jeremy, Kass and Carter are getting here?" a couple of years ago Kass' old Moroi decided to start teaching at an academy and she was no longer needed and needed a new placement. While Jeremy wasn't enjoying his Guardians and requested new ones, Kass was available and after talking to Carter's Moroi he was more than happy to do a swap since Carter took every chance he could get to have holidays and come back to Court.

"Carter's already here"

"What do you mean he's already here?"

"He's had the last week off and he spent it with his mum, he arrived at Court last night"

"Why isn't he with Jeremy and Kass?"

"Something about a romantic holiday" Nik ended up choking on his coffee at James' comment.

At some point during the new partnership between Kass and Jeremy feelings had developed and we were shocked to hear that Jeremy was willing to settle down with someone, a dhampir to be exact. We all thought he would eventually find some Moroi his parents were happy with but they loved Kass but Nik was worried he was going to hurt Kass which was fair considering Jeremy's past and Kass being family but he still accepted it either way.

"If those two come back engaged" I spoke while smirking at Nik

"Or pregnant" James added in with a grin on his face

"Right that's it, I've had enough. I'm going to get Kostas out of bed" we both knew that Nik wasn't happy with what we were talking about but it was funny for us

"Don't I'll do it, be good for your father and do what he says sweetie" I gave Ashleigh another kiss before leaving the room and heading towards Kostas' room.

"Mumma!" he looked so happy at seeing me, I couldn't help but smile and walk over to pick him up.

"Look at my big boy, I heard you were naughty last night"

"Missed you"

"I missed you too but I had to work"

"No work" he shook his head and I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Give him here and you go and get some sleep, you look dead on your feet"

"Dadda!" Kostas yelled while squirming in my arms, it didn't matter if he missed me last night. Dad was number one right now.

"But he needs breakfast"

"Which I can give him, go get some sleep"

"I was thinking"

"That's never a good idea, the last time you did that we ended up with Kostas"

"Oh but wouldn't another baby be wonderful"

"Don't start on this now Dri, you're exhausted and delusional"

"Fine but it's not what I meant, Emily said Carter was here. Why can't Carter and go get Stefan and you stay here, Matt is coming to collect Ashleigh and Kostas soon"

"Don't worry about that, just get some sleep" Nik gave me a kiss before taking Kostas from my arms and it didn't take long for him to start pushing me towards our bedroom.

I did end up getting some more sleep but I was rudely awoken by someone coming over and sitting on me, I knew straight away it had to be either Emily or Stefan since it was only ever those two that did this which also meant they were back from the airport.

"So something's happened and I don't know how to deal with it. I had sex with this girl two months ago and now she's pregnant" I couldn't believe Stefan was telling me this

I quickly rolled over pushing him off me and hitting him across the arm.

"How could you cheat on Millie? I thought you loved her" Millie and Stefan had started dating not long after Ashleigh was born and they had gotten married a couple of years later.

"I do, my god. Dri Millie's pregnant"

"What!" I sat up straight in the bed staring at him, I can't believe this.

"Seriously, Millie is pregnant. We wanted you all to be first, otherwise we aren't telling anyone"

"I can't believe Millie is pregnant again"

"Me either, I honestly thought we were stopping at Sutton" Millie and Stefan had a beautiful three year old daughter named Sutton.

"So I'm assuming it wasn't planned"

"No far from it, I'm not saying I don't want any more children I'm thrilled with the idea of having another one but we didn't speak about it"

"I'm so happy for you Stefan"

"Thanks Dri, come on. Everyone's sitting in the living room"

"Everyone?"

"Well no, I believe James' mum still has Oliver and Alexandria while Matt has Ashleigh and Kostas and Sutton is with my mum"

"Wow so a full adults only conversation, I can't remember the last time this happened"

"Probably when you and Emily both announced you were pregnant" Kostas and Alexandria were only a couple of weeks apart with Kostas being the older one.

Emily and I had joked a couple of times about Kostas and Alexandria dating, falling in love and getting married but then the conversation was quickly changed to what would happen if they did have children since they both had Spirit in them, now we were all worried for what the future would bring for them all.

"When are Jer and Kass due back?"

"Not until later but they managed to get a flight into Court"

"How come you and Millie can never get a flight into Court?"

"Because of the airport we use, private planes can't take off from there and public ones aren't allowed to land in Court"

"Makes sense but I swear you all need to pick better timing, every time you all come in I can't pick you up from the airport because I'm either already working or have worked and too tired to go"

"It's not like we plan it, actually maybe we do. Maybe we ring ahead and find out your work schedule just to mess with you"

"You're an ass, come on" I punched him in the arm before getting up and heading towards my wardrobe to get changed.

It wasn't until a couple of hours later that Carter had finally turned up to come and see us all but he bought a surprise with him, he had Jeremy and Kass with him. I squealed at the sight of Jeremy before rushing over and hugging him. I hadn't seen either him or Kass for months where as I had seen Carter not long ago when he had come home for a holiday.

"Glad to know I was missed" Jeremy laughed while hugging me back.

Ever since Ashleigh was born the friendship between Jeremy and myself had gotten incredibly close, it wasn't anywhere near as close as my friendship with Emily or Stefan, or even James these days but I had immensely missed Jeremy. Even Nik had gotten close with Jeremy which shocked me one day when I came home from a shift and found the two of them sitting on the couch yelling at the T.V for a football match that was playing.

_5 years ago_

I had worked the night shift and couldn't wait to go home and curl up in bed beside Nik, I was exhausted. I had only been back at work for a week, Ashleigh was 6 months old and I had finally been able to leave her with someone other than myself or Nik. Everyone understood my reluctance to leave her alone with someone else, both dad and James had said they could see the gold in her aura and I was worried.

I walked through the front door and was confused at hearing the T.V on and when the yelling came I was worried. I rushed towards the living room and stopped in shock at the sight of both Jeremy and Nik sitting on the couch.

"What's going on here?"

"Green Bay is playing" Jeremy spoke but didn't turn around

"Right and you are here in my house at an ungodly hour why?"

"Because Green Bay is playing" I shook my head before walking over and giving Nik a kiss.

"Where's Ashleigh?"

"Still asleep, the baby monitor is right there. We will hear her if she wakes up, go get some sleep"

"Can I trust you two not to kill each other?" Jeremy looked at me in shock while Nik had a smirk on his face.

"Well if he had told me he was a Patriots fan then maybe I would have" Jeremy laughed while I stared at Nik in confusion. "I promise you we will be fine, get some rest"

I didn't say anything else but did head upstairs to get some rest, I didn't even hear Ashleigh cry when she woke up. When I did eventually wake up Jeremy had left and when I asked Nik about what Jeremy was doing here since last I heard Nik was still unsure about my friendship with him but all he said in reply was that they had found common ground and he was trying.

_Present_

The first few months after Ashleigh was born we saw a lot of Jeremy because he was playing the fatherly role since it's what he wanted and he was incredibly fond of Ashleigh just like everyone else but she got a bit older and he went back to college and started travelling.

"Where are my godchildren?" Jeremy spoke and I gave him a smile, after Ashleigh was born Nik and I decided on Jeremy being Ashleigh's godfather after everything he went through to help protect her. He had to deal with the stories floating around about him just like I did, he had agreed and when Kostas was born we asked him as well so that way if anything did happen to the both of us Ashleigh and Kostas would be together.

"Ashleigh and Kostas are with dad"

"What about Lycus?"

"With Rose and Dimitri, it's an adult only conversation for now"

Not long after Kass was placed with Jeremy she begun spending more time at Court with him and us and she loved being able to spend time with Nik and the rest of us. It was then she decided to have Lycus moved from Greece to here at Court with us and we had no problems what so ever taking in Lycus since we had the room for him and he was family.

When he first turned up and was told of Ashleigh he was so excited at the idea of having a sister that he spent the first day hovering over her making sure she was fine but now that they're both older, well they just prefer to annoy each other.

Rose and Dimitri both enjoyed having Lycus at Court since it was a male dhampir that they could do things with that they couldn't with Matt, Nate or the twins. It didn't matter if I was a dhampir, I was a girl not a boy and Lycus was able to help fill that void they had.

"The last time that happened both you and Emily announced you were pregnant"

"I can assure I'm not pregnant this time"

"This time? Does that mean there may be another one in the future?"

"Who knows, I think everyone kind of expects us to have more since word has gotten out about Kostas"

After word got out that I was pregnant again everyone was curious as to who the father was but once it confirmed that it was Nik's everyone was curious as to how it happened. I remember spending a week in the house not leaving with fear of having to answer a million questions.

"At least no one has come after them or you yet"

"I know, now what is going on with you and Kass" we both looked over to where Kass and Nik were talking in the other room. When I looked over at Jeremy he had a massive smile on his face. "You didn't did you?"

"I didn't what?"

"Propose?"

"No but I'm thinking about it"

"Ah hence the smile, I remember both James and Stefan looking the same way"

"If I asked Nik for his permission what would he say?" Everyone had caught on to the nickname but as long as they didn't start with the Nicky nickname that Kass still used he was fine with it.

"I've got no idea, Jer. I know he's worried you're going to break her heart because you cheated on me but he can see how incredibly happy you make her and the way you treat Lycus means the world to him"

"I adore Lycus"

"You adore the rest of the children, it makes me wonder if you're going to have your own"

"No idea, if Kass turned around and said she didn't want any more I wouldn't be bothered. There is enough kids in our own weird family that it's like I've got my own. You have no problem when I take Ash and Kostas for the day"

"But you don't want your own?"

"Everyone thinks I already do"

"I think most people have caught on that we lied"

"I know but either way, I'm happy with my life. I just want to change one thing"

"How long are you staying this time?"

"Kass missed Lycus and I missed you guys, so I think permanently"

"Are you serious?" he nodded and I threw my arms around his neck. I couldn't believe that Jeremy and Kass were going to stay here permanently.

It was later that night and I was standing in Ashleigh's room after she had fallen asleep, she had come and woken me up saying she had nightmares. She wouldn't tell me about them but she wanted me in her bed with her while she fell asleep, it didn't take long but I was scared to leave the room just in case she woke up and I wasn't here.

"She will be fine" Nik spoke before wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my head.

"What if she's over heard one too many of everyone's conversations about how some day someone might try and kill her or kidnap her"

"It's doubtful"

"But her nightmare…" I twisted in his arms so I looked at him

"Could just be a normal nightmare, you've woken me up in the middle of night before because you were afraid of a killer clown" he smirked at me and I pulled a face in response

"Funny but at least I didn't jump when you first crawled into bed beside me"

"Come on she will be fine, come back to bed" I didn't say anything but let him pull me back to our bedroom.

I walked in to our bedroom and stopped while Nik walked over and climbed into the bed, I looked above our bed at the picture frame. Nik had had one of my mother's letters framed and it was hanging above the bed, it was the one about falling in love. He said it was a perfect reminder for both of us and I loved that he did that.

"What are you smiling at?" Nik spoke and I looked down at him.

"Just how much I love you" I went over and jumped in beside him and he automatically put his arms around me and pulled me close.

"Falling in love with you is the best mistake I've ever made" I rolled over and looked up at him.

"You're my best mistake" I gave him another smile before leaning up and kissing him.

**A/N: Thank you to who everyone who has read, followed and reviewed my story from the very beginning. I cannot believe an idea of a one shot turned into a 116 chapter story, I did not expect it to become this big.**

**I have appreciated every single review that I have gotten along the way, most of which made my day. **

**I hope everyone enjoyed the epilogue and what I had planned out for the story, as for anything else that could happen to them in the future I'm not too sure. I don't plan on Carter being single forever, I could imagine him ending up with another Guardian who enjoys it as much as he does and understands their duties, maybe a similar sort of relationship that Rose and Dimitri have where they are paired with a couple and can be together that way. I can also picture Dri and Nik having another child, a little girl named Clary but I cannot picture anything else about their futures.**

**Also just a reminder that I have started another story called 'Do You Ever Wonder How Different It Could Be?' it is a twist on this story that shows just how different Dri's life would be had she grown up with Adrian instead of in Melbourne.**

**Khalessi43**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. As you can see the baby was a girl just like Dri wanted, I had always planned on her having a girl first for the reasons mentioned in the previous chapter.**

**Peggy**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm sorry you think it was mean but I wanted one last chance to see everyone's guess for the sex of the baby. As you see it was a girl and Nik did get his son eventually.**

**Ilovesos9467**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me. Don't worry I hate cliff hangers as well but it wasn't that long of a wait. I'm sad as well about it ending don't you worry and I hope you enjoyed this final chapter.**

**BunnyYouRockXOX**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. As you can see Dri did get her girl**

**Alexlc**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. I'm sorry for being a tease**

**Moulinness**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Thank you for your idea on what their futures hold, as you can see some things are different but I like that you guessed that Jeremy is the godfather for the child.**

**GwennyDee**** thank you for always reviewing, it means a lot to me and I can't believe you have been reviewing from nearly the beginning even when you have fallen behind on chapters so thank you for that! As for your review on chapter 113, I'm glad you liked the baby shower and how they were given a house. I loved the idea of a dog as well, I've grown up with dogs and I cannot see my future without them and it is also something that I don't think that Moroi and dhampirs don't get to experience so I thought why not have Dri wish for something like that. I'm glad you find James and Emily cute and they do work out. As for Clary, she is still missing. In my head I can't decide if she is dead or just missing, I've read stories where Rose has gone missing and she has lost her memory and that's why so for all I know that is what happened to Clary but she is currently an unknown.**

**Amorsagirl**** thank you for reviewing, it means a lot to me. **


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